Inspection
by Saratiga
Summary: It's Annual Inspection Week and Tsuna and his guardians had to visit and inspect the Vongola German branch. What will happen when the boss of the branch treats Tsuna like trash and disobey various rules? Rated T just in case.
1. The Beginning

**Title: Inspection**

**No pairings!**

**Warning: Contains *language (if you get what i mean)  
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**Disclaimer: If I own KHR, I would totally demand that they continue the anime! :(**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**"blah" = normal dialogue**

**'blah' = thoughts**

**_blah = _flashbacks  
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* * *

><p><span>Inspection<span>

Vongola Mansion, Italy, afternoon...

In his office, a certain brunette groaned as he struggled in the sea of paperwork around him. There were skyscrapers of bills, complaints, and reports. Just as he was almost done organizing his papers, Tsuna's Storm Guardian walked in, carrying another mountain of reports. Before Tsuna could even complain to Gokudera, the wind from his office's open window caused the door to shut with a crash. The skyscrapers around Tsuna trembled with the vibration and crashed down. 'NOOO! My entire morning spent on organizing the papers and now, it's a huge mess! It could NOT get any worse!' Tsuna thought, not knowing that things were about to get much worse.

"G-gomen, Jyuudaime." Gokudera said, sweat trickling down his temples as he tried to pull his beloved boss out from the paperwork. Gokudera had to shake Tsuna out of his horrifyingly dead look.

"W-What am I going to do? All these need to be sorted out by the end of the day or Reborn's gonna have my head." Tsuna shuddered as he thought of his devilish tutor seeing this mess. Tsuna imagined the different forms of torture he would have to go through and shivered.

"Speak of the devil," Gokudera said, looking toward the door that had just opened to reveal a baby in black suit.

"Eh? What are you talking about?" Tsuna said before looking toward where Gokudera was staring. He gulped as his eyes found the tiny hitman. "I-it was a-an accident –" Tsuna tried to explain before he was cut off by Reborn.

"Don't bother. You've got more important things to do. Did you forget what today is?" Reborn said, jumping to sit on Tsuna's now-messed-up desk.

"Today? What's so special about today? It's just the third of May…" Tsuna trailed off as his Hyper Intuition started to remind him of how important today is. Tsuna's already-big eyes widened even more. "Oh shit! I forgot. Today's the start of Annual Inspection Week."

"That's right, Dame-Tsuna. It's the branch in Germany this time and you gotta take all your Guardians." Reborn lectured.

"Ehh. Why? I usually just take one or two; three was the max." Tsuna whined, but backed off as he saw the dangerous glint in Reborn's eyes.

"Because I say so. This particular branch is one of those branches that are not carefully controlled so they might not even know your face. That actually is an advantage because now you can inspect them without them already knowing and being on their best behavior. You can find out about their daily activities and missions. However, the one disadvantage is that you might get attacked since they don't know you. That's why I want you to bring all your guardians, including Lambo and Hibari. I don't care how you're gonna accomplish that but your plane leaves in two hours. Any questions? No? Good. Get ready." With that, Reborn walked out of the office without looking back.

"God, I can't believe I forgot Annual Inspection Week." Tsuna sighed. Inspection Week is a Vongola ritual when the boss goes to one of the family's branches to inspect and oversee that particular branch. Then he would determine whether that branch need changes or remain the same. Last year, Tsuna had visited the French branch, which was pretty good although they needed some small changes. He'd never been able to visit the Japanese branch as an inspector because Reborn said that he visits that country too many times during his vacations already. Snapping out of his reverie, he said to his right hand man, "You know what to do, Gokudera-kun."

"Hai, Jyuudaime. I'll get everything ready." Tsuna sweat-dropped as Gokudera saluted.

* * *

><p>At Italy National Airport, two hours later…<p>

"Is everyone ready?" The young mafia don asked his companions, which includes Hibari. Tsuna had managed to get Hibari to go with a promise of a good fight with him after they'd returned. Everyone was dressed in normal clothes to avoid attention. Chrome was holding Lambo's hand and a candy to prevent him from running away. After a few minutes, Tsuna and his guardians waved goodbye to Fuuta, Bianchi, and Reborn, and walked through the gate, fake passports in hands. They'd decided an hour ago that they would use aliases in order to properly disguise themselves and inspect this branch carefully.

Tsuna was now Sora, which kinda makes sense because of his Sky Flame. Gokudera was Hayate, which is close to his real name Hayato. For the same reason, Yamamoto's alias is Takahiro and Onii-san's (Ryohei) is Ryu. Hibari refused to change his name, but since he also refused to participate in the mission, there's no need for an alias. As long as he stayed hidden, (since everybody in the mafia world knows the bloodthirsty skylark) Hibari doesn't have to inspect or stay at the German branch. His only job during this trip is to protect Tsuna if needed. Lastly, only Chrome and Lambo's aliases are completely different from their real names since they're Italian names. Chrome is now called Yuki while Lambo is Ren. This is not the first time Tsuna and the guardians had to use an alias so everyone had quickly adapted to the name change and was soon using them like they'd known them for years.

During the three hours trip to Germany, Tsuna (aka Sora) had briefed them on the details of the mission; there's not much to say since everyone knows the ritual and what to do. Only Tsuna, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Onii-san, Lambo (it's not that uncommon to have a young hitman)and Chrome will do the actual inspecting. Hibari will do whatever he usually does. All seven will pretend to be young hitmen transferred from another branch. They'd also decided that they will only call each other by their real names when no one except the seven is present. Soon after the pep talk, Tsuna and his guardians relaxed, each doing their own thing and waiting for the moment when the plane landed.

* * *

><p>Three hours later (evening) at Germany National Airport…<p>

"Wow. That was a really long trip." Yamamoto said, stretching his legs and grinning like an idiot.

"Shut up, Yakyuu-baka." Gokudera hissed while trying to stop his head from spinning around due to jetlag.

Tsuna sighed at his friends' antics and said, "C'mon guys. Let's get to the German branch already. We don't want to be standing in the open for too long."

Everyone's guards went up at the mention of being in the open. They'd all been taught when they first entered the mafia world that they should always beware snipers. Since all seven don't have their bodyguards right now, it would be bad if someone who knows the faces of the Vongola Boss and his Guardians find them.

Soon afterwards, Hibari disappeared, leaving the rest to find a taxi for themselves and their luggage. Thirty minutes passed by and Tsuna and his friends arrived at a park. This park was a block away from their actual destination, the Vongola Headquarters: German Branch, because the driver was too scared to come any closer.

_Flashback (25 minutes ago)_

_"Where are you heading, young misters?" The driver asked, looking at the reflection of his customers through his rear view mirror._

_"Umm...We need to go to... Siegen district." Tsuna said after checking the piece of paper Reborn had given him earlier that contains all the little pieces of information he needed. _

_"What? What business do you have there? Never mind. Just get out. I won't take you there. I would never step into that district." The driver continued to rant as Tsuna and friends shared a look expressing their confusion and anxiety. _

_"W-wait. Can you at least take us to some place near that district? Please! This is really important. We're really not bad people." Tsuna said, feeling guilty for his lies about not being bad people. _

_ "Very well. After this trip, just give me your money and forget about me. I will forget that I ever met you all." The driver said, shuddering as he pulled out of the airport parking lot._

_End flashback_

Tsuna sighed as his group dragged their suitcases out of the taxi's trunk and onto the sidewalk. Yamamoto handled the paying while the rest of the group started walking toward the headquarters. He soon caught up with the others and they chatted until they were right in front of the gates of a big mansion, though not as big as the main Vongola Mansion back in Italy.

As soon as they were spotted, a group of burly men in black suits surrounded them. Before anything unfortunate happened (to the burly men of course), Tsuna raised his hands to show that he's weaponless. His friends did the same of course, though all of their weapons are still on their body, just hidden. Tsuna's gloves are in his pockets, Gokudera's dynamites are hidden who-knows-where on his body, Yamamoto's Shigure Kintoki is in his suitcase, Onii-san doesn't even have a weapon since he uses his fists, Lambo's bombs are in his afro, and Chrome's trident is covered by an illusion.

"We're hitmen from the French branch. We have been transferred here for an infinite amount of time. I'm Sora. These are my comrades: Hayate, Takahiro, Ryu, Ren, and Yuki." Tsuna stated with a serious voice, pointing out each of his friends as he introduced them.

The men didn't relax and instead, one of them asked, "Show me some form of evidence."

Tsuna had anticipated this and pulled out fake IDs for all of them. He also pulled out a letter signed by the French branch boss confirming that Tsuna was saying the truth. One of the men took all the IDs and the letter and ran inside the mansion, most likely to the Analyzing Evidence Department (AED) to check if the IDs and letter were fake. Of course the AED would not find anything suspicious since Reborn had made sure that even Vongola's advanced technology would not be able to recognize that the IDs were fake. Meanwhile, the rest of the men escorted Tsuna and his friends inside. They were told to wait in one of the bare rooms until further notice.

Five minutes later, a man in black suit arrived. What was so different about this man is that he carries no weapon. He waved his hand to indicate that they should follow him. Along the way, he introduced himself as Gerald and German branch boss's right hand man. At the mention of the word 'right hand man', Gokudera perked up and stared at the man keenly, judging him through his manners and behaviors. Gerald explained a little about the German branch and answered some of Tsuna's questions. Soon, they'd reach a large door where Gerald gently knocked three times. The group entered upon hearing a deep voice saying, "Come in."

"What is it, Gerald? Can't you fuckin' see I'm busy? And who are these brats you brought with you." A man sitting behind the mahogany desk said, his eyebrows twitching dangerously. Even though he said he's busy, his pile of paperwork is nothing compared to Tsuna's humongous mountain.

"Excuse me, sir, but these people said they were transferred from the French branch." Gerald said after bowing low to the man.

"I see. Do whatever you want with them. They're not worth my precious time. I still have to review these fuckin' reports." The man waved his hand irritatingly and Gerald immediately led the group outside.

"I'll show you to your rooms. You'll be staying with the other hitmen and you'll have to share rooms 'cuz I don't think there's enough rooms left for everyone. The girl can stay with other female mafiosos. Rest now. I'll assign you your missions tomorrow." With that, Gerald pointed to a series of rooms then turned and left.

* * *

><p>Vongola German Branch, nighttime...<p>

Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto simultaneously sighed and turned in their beds, wondering if Ryohei and Lambo were doing any better.

_Flashback_ (A few hours ago)

_Soon after Gerald left, a woman mafioso came and led Chrome away, leaving Tsuna and his male guardians confused and not knowing what to do. After a minute of intense thinking, Tsuna decided to ask someone who's staying here for more information.  
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_Tsuna opened the first door to his right to be greeted by three men bantering. One man was half-naked, his chest covered with scars. The other two were also covered with scars and were wrestling with each other. All three looked up and immediately reached for their weapons as they heard Tsuna opened the door._

_"D-don't shoot. I'm not an enemy." Tsuna said, cringing and cowering a little bit._

_"Who are you? What are you doing here?" said the half-naked man._

_"I'm Sora and these are my comrades. We got transferred from the French branch and Gerald-san told us to find rooms here." Tsuna explained while eyeing the guns anxiously._

_"Che. Only six people per room. We already have three here so you will have to split up. The room across from us also has three people. You can choose which room you want to stay. Then we'll discuss the rules." One of the men who were wrestling said with an annoyed expression on his face. He and the other two turned back to do whatever they were doing and ignored Tsuna and his friends._

_Tsuna turned to his little group and said, "How about Ryu and Ren stay together in the other room and I'll stay here with Hayate and Takahiro? Sounds good?"_

_ Everyone agreed, also noticing that Tsuna had used their aliases instead of real names. The game had started._

_After Onii-san and Lambo left for their rooms, Tsuna turned back to his new roommates. "Hi, I'm Sora. This is Hayate and Takahiro. Let's get along." Tsuna said._

_Silence greeted his words before all three burst out laughing. "Hahaha. 'Let's get along' he said," said the half-naked man mockingly._

_Tsuna tensed and though his expression didn't change, Gokudera and Yamamoto could feel the anger radiate from their boss. Before he could blow up and ruin the mission, Yamamoto stepped in._

_Grinning his idiotic smile, Yamamoto said, "Yeah. Let's get along. What are your names?"_

_Instead of laughing like they did with Tsuna, the men got serious instead, as if they could feel the killer intent behind the fake smile. 'Idiots. The one you should respect is not me, but the one next to me. Instead, you've laughed at him. You are so dead,' Yamamoto thought before he was interrupted by the men answering his question._

_"Albert," the half-naked man said._

_"Alex," said one of the two 'wrestlers.'_

_"Che. Erik," said the last man._

_"Nice to meet you." Tsuna said with a strained smile. "Now, you mentioned some rules before? What are those rules?"_

_"Ah. _Those_ rules. Okay, number one, you must be quiet at night. Number two, you must share all information that concerns us. Number three, if you bring girls into the room, you must share them with us. And finally, number four, you will receive any punishment that we chooses to bestow if you broke the aforementioned three rules." Albert lectured, grinning._

_Tsuna looked down, his bangs covering his furious eyes as he tried hard to control his anger. These ridiculous rules, especially the third and fourth ones, make him enraged. This time, Gokudera stepped forward in front of Tsuna while Yamamoto stepped back. Yamamoto placed a hand on Tsuna's back, trying to calm his boss down before the three in front of them were killed. _

_Tsuna was grateful that Gokudera had covered his view of the three because he seriously thought that he would kill them if he took another look at their mocking faces right now. He was also glad for Yamamoto's calming presence next to him._

_"Very well. We'll follow your rules. Anything else?" Gokudera said._

_"Geez. So serious." Erik mocked. "No. Do whatever you want. Just don't disturb us. Your three beds are over there in the corner." He turned back to the other two after he finished saying this._

_Gokudera and Yamamoto led Tsuna to their little corners. Tsuna had calmed down tremendously and was now conversing with Gokudera and Yamamoto on various events that are happening in the mafia world. Soon, it was time for dinner. Tsuna and his friends meet with Onii-san, Lambo, and Chrome and all six discussed their predicaments so far. No one paid any attention to them so they were able to talk freely. Still, as a precaution, they used their aliases and only voiced their complaints in whispers._

_After dinner, Tsuna and his two friends returned to their room and went to bed._

_End Flashback  
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'Geez, I think they broke their own rules. I've never heard anyone snore so loud.' Tsuna thought. 'Anyways, Reborn is right. This branch needs some serious changes. It's been horrible so far. The only one I would say is acceptable is Gerald but since I don't know him that well, I can't judge him yet. Same with the others. I hope I'll be able to see some boss actions tomorrow.'

With that thought in mind, Tsuna fell asleep.

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><p><strong>AN: ~Well? How was it? Questions? Comments? Concerns? Please review~**

**By the way, this is unbeta-ed so I apologize for any mistakes. **

**I think you all know what sora and Onii-san means, but if not then sora means sky and Onii-san is big brother.**

**Thanks for reading. Ja na!**


	2. Day 1

**Warning: I'm too lazy to repeat**

**Disclaimer: Again, KHR does not belong to me. I know everyone's jealous of Akira Amano because I, for one, am.**

**"blah" = normal dialogue**

**'blah' = thoughts**

**_blah = _flashbacks**

**Heheh! Here's the second chapter! Enjoy! :D**

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><p>Day 1<p>

A large crash echoed throughout the room, triggering a reaction in the sleeping Vongola boss. Tsuna was now wide awake, crouched in a defensive position and glancing around for the source of the sound. This reaction was almost an instinct to Tsuna now since Reborn had drilled it into him every morning with a shower of bullets. His searching gaze found Gokudera and Yamamoto also crouched in their own beds. It turned out the crash was caused by Erik being thrown against the wall.

'Damn, it's only five o'clock. What the heck is wrong with these people?' Tsuna thought after getting a grasp of the situation. Apparently, Erik had angered Alex somehow and the argument had soon turned into a fight. Tsuna wasn't too surprised since this is daily occurrence in the mafia world.

"Now that we're awake, might as well get ready for the day," whispered Tsuna to Gokudera and Yamamoto, who nodded.

The three took showers and got ready, ignoring the fight that was going on. Though Tsuna was pretending to be ignorant and minding his own business, he was actually watching the three out of the corner of his eyes. He frowned when he noticed Albert sitting silently in a chair, yawning. This is a sign that these fights happen a lot, which is not a good thing. 'That's another X against this branch. I wonder how long it will take to fill a page with X's.' Tsuna thought.

It had been a habit of his to mark X's during inspection week. Each X stands for one sin or crime the branch had committed and once there are enough X's to fill a page, he will personally deliver the punishments. So far, no one had been able to fill a page since he has a lot of patience and always give everyone the benefit of the doubt. 'This branch might just break the record.' Tsuna thought sarcastically.

* * *

><p>30 minutes later…<p>

The fight had finally ended with both Erik and Alex covered with bruises and scratches. Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Tsuna were now all in black suits as befitted of hitmen and were in front of Ryohei and Lambo's room, waiting for them to get ready. Soon, the door opened, revealing their two friends also in black suits. All five walked toward the diner, discussing how their nights had been. Everyone mostly complained, but Tsuna listened closely to each complaint to see how bad this branch actually was.

After they'd gotten their breakfast and had settled down in a corner table, Chrome joined them, wearing a skirt suit. Even the shy and not-talkative Chrome has things to say about this branch's horribleness. Everyone chatted while eating their breakfast. Tsuna was mentally oraganizing the complaints so far and marking X's. Suddenly, a bell rang aloud, startling all six occupants.

Though Tsuna and his friends were confused, the other hitmen at the diner just sighed, stood up, and made their way outside toward the yard. After asking a few questions, Tsuna was able to find out that it was training time; this branch actually trains their hitmen every morning. Together with his friends, Tsuna followed the others to where every hitmen had gathered.

If you look at the yard from bird's-eye view, you would have seen a black mob milling around. Tsuna didn't have to stand there for long before someone blew a whistle. That 'someone' was actually Carlos, the German branch's boss. He was sitting regally – no lazily – on a raised dais, staring down at the black mob with annoyed expression.

"All of you fuckin' trash, I have news today. Six brats had joined us yesterday and will be with us for god knows how long." Tsuna and his friends found themselves the focus of the attention of fifty or so hitmen. Carlos smirked before continuing, "You can give them the welcome ceremony. Just leave them alive. Haha! That's all. You know what to do." Having finished his little 'speech', Carlos turned back to drinking lemonade while holding a girl to his side.

"Haha. Let's see what we could do with you." Someone said.

"Yeah. This should be fun." Another replied.

"Ohh. I haven't been able to exercise my muscles lately. This would be a perfect opportunity." One hitmen said, cracking his knuckles.

Everyone moved toward Tsuna and his little group. Realizing what was going on, Tsuna's guardians immediately surrounded him. Gokudera was glaring and Yamamoto was releasing his killer intent. Ryohei and Lambo were serious for once, and Chrome has on a protective expression.

"Oooh. I think the one in the middle is a girl. A pretty one too. C'mere baby, I'll treat you well." One guy said, oblivious to the sudden change in temperature. Tsuna's guardians' faces paled and they stepped back from the force of Tsuna's anger. They could tell that he was about to explode. All five of them thought, 'How stupid could these people be. Tsuna hates being called a girl the most. They're all doomed.'

"Yeah. I'll bet she's really good in bed."

Tsuna could not take it anymore. Even _he _has a limit as to how many insults he could take, and the innuendo was more than he could handle. Tsuna reached into his pocket for his gloves, ready to kill all these people who'd been too stupid to realize their mistake. Before he could pull his weapons out, however, someone spoke up. "Come on guys. Stop it. They're new here. Show some consideration."

Tsuna's head snapped up at the kind words, disbelief clear on his face. He didn't think anyone at this place was capable of kindness. His eyes found a pair of gentle brown eyes.

"Hi, I'm Edward. Just call me Ed. Nice to meet you," said the brown-eyed man, holding out his hand to Tsuna.

"I'm Sora and these are my comrades. Thank you for defending us, Ed." Tsuna shook hands with his new friend, deciding to delay the wrath he was about to unleash onto the other hitmen who'd insulted him.

"Aww Ed. Why'd you ruin the fun?" Someone from the crowd voiced.

"Yeah. It was about to get much bet – "

"All of you. Quit the chitty-chatty and start training already." A familiar voice said and Tsuna looked toward the source to find Gerald striding toward them.

All the hitmen finally decided to abandon their 'fun' and scattered around, training in various ways.

"I apologize for that, Sora. Now, you should train as well. You could spar with a partner or train using other methods. Ed, you too." With that, Gerald turned and walked toward Carlos, who was obviously not paying any attention to his own subordinates.

"God, two rows. Two full rows in just one morning. I didn't think it was this bad," Tsuna mumbled, referring to his X's.

"Maa maa. Hopefully, they'll realize it soon and change by themselves." Yamamoto grinned optimistically.

"I doubt it, Yakyuu-baka. They're already beyond help. I don't see why we should wait any longer. There's enough evidence to deliver the judgment." Gokudera hissed, glaring at the other hitmen.

"There might be EXTREME people here though. We can't just judge them from what we've seen so far," Ryohei said, his eyebrows twitching in confusion. Lambo and Chrome nodded to show their agreement.

"Let's wait a little more and see." Tsuna murmured, his eyes thoughtful.

Ed was more than confused. He was totally befuddled, standing there and listening to the little group's conversation. "What are you all talking about? What judgment? I don't understand," Ed said, directing his question to Tsuna who he'd assumed was the leader of the group despite his small appearance.

"Ah. It's nothing you need to worry about. Again, thank you for earlier. Now, would you like to train with us?" Tsuna said, a small smile gracing his lips.

"Okaay. How are you guys gonna train? Sparring?" Ed decided not to pry into the mysterious conversation so he'd agreed to the offer of training with the little group.

"Oh, ok. Let's spar in pairs. I assume Yuki doesn't want to participate so Ryu will pair up with Ren, and Hayate will spar with Takahiro. You'll be with me, Ed. Is that ok?" Tsuna asked, looking at his friends, including Ed. Everyone nodded; well, everyone except Gokudera, who yelled, "Why do I have to be with Yakyuu-baka. I want to spar with Jyuudai–" He was cut off by Tsuna's glare.

"Oh, and guys? Don't go overboard, please." Tsuna added, throwing a meaningful glance at his guardians. They immediately understood that he doesn't want them to show their true strength and to use their weapons. Thankfully, Ed didn't catch the silent exchange. Soon, the entire group started their matches.

Ed was surprised. The little guy, Sora, could really fight. His punches were hard and fast. Ed considered himself one of the strong fighters, but even he has trouble with this petite guy. He had not been able to land a single punch so far because of Sora's agility. Sora was certainly a hard opponent to face, but it wasn't like it was impossible to defeat him. Ed just needs time to adjust to his fast pace and weird fighting style. 'I wonder why he hadn't fight back if he's so strong. He could have easily defeated several of us here.' Ed pondered on this as he parried and dodged Tsuna's punches.

* * *

><p>Two hours later…<p>

Tsuna wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel and changed into another suit. 'Fighting with Ed had been a good warm-up, even if I'd held back most of my power.' Tsuna thought as he changed into another suit for his mission.

_Flashback__ (half an hour ago…)_

_Tsuna had just finished his session with Ed and was now cooling down at a bench. Ryohei and Lambo were still sparring, but Gokudera and Yamamoto had also finished their fight so they'd join Tsuna at the bench. As the four (Ed is included) chatted, they were approached by Gerald. _

"_You three have a mission." Gerald said, pointing to Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto. "Since this is your first time here, Ed will be your guide. The mission's simple. You just have to catch this guy and deliver a warning," Gerald continued, giving Tsuna a picture of a middle-aged guy wearing glasses._

_Tsuna shuddered as he thought of his mission. Vongola-style warnings are harsh. It mostly consists of beating the crap out of the target to insure they don't commit whatever crime they'd committed against the family. As boss, he'd only done a few warnings and punishments. Mostly, he just sent his men to do the dirty work. Of course, he'd done his fair share of torture and executions, but those are usually reserved for traitors to the family. He'd committed those sins in order to protect his family so he does not regret his actions, but he wondered if this mission has a good reason behind it. He doubt it since this branch is too corrupted._

"_Ok. We'll carry it out as soon as possible. Mind telling me why this man is targeted?" Tsuna asked, looking up at Gerald._

"_You'll find out. Just report back to me when you're done. Ed will know where to find me. Good luck, Sora." Gerald said, then turned and walked away._

_End Flashback_

Tsuna finished changing and met with Ed outside. Gokudera and Yamamoto soon joined them and the four walked out of the base. Ed began leading Tsuna and his friends through the alleys and corners of the district. Fifteen minutes later, he came to a stop in front of an abandoned warehouse and motioned to Tsuna that they'd reached their destination.

The four carefully walked toward the door. Ed pulled out his Revolver while Tsuna and Gokudera pulled out the guns they'd acquired from the store room. Yamamoto unsheathed his katana, also from the storeroom, and hacked open the lock. Gokudera kicked the door open and they proceeded cautiously into the warehouse.

The interior was dark, with only a tiny beam of light shining through a crack in the wall. Silence greeted the hitmen's entrance. The four glanced around, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. Before their eyes could do this though, Tsuna's Hyper Intuition spiked up, telling him to duck just as a bullet flew past, grazing his cheeks. Alerted by the bullet, the others immediately raised their weapons, looking toward the source of the bullet.

The lightbulb in the warehouse started to flicker and lighted up, showing the frightened face of their target, who was holding a gun to his temple.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ~Ha... Cliffy. Oh well, I'll update soon. You know the normal routine, read and review and all that.**

**Sincerely sorry for any mistakes... Gomen-nasai!**

**See you soon! Ja na!  
><strong>


	3. Day 1 continued

**Hi! I'm back! Here's chapter 3  
><strong>

**Warnings: language and stuff  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: If Tsuna belongs to me, I would totally eat him alive. I sound like a pedophile ^.^ :D**

**By the way, I want to thank people who reviewed and I hope others continue to R&R. 3  
><strong>

**"blah" = normal dialogue**

**'blah' = thoughts**

**_blah = _flashbacks**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

><p><span>Day 1 (cont.)<span>

_The interior was dark, with only a tiny beam of light shining through a crack in the wall. Silence greeted the hitmen's entrance. The four glanced around, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. Before their eyes could do this though, Tsuna's Hyper Intuition spiked up, telling him to duck just as a bullet flew past, grazing his cheeks. Alerted by the bullet, the others immediately raised their weapons, looking toward the source of the bullet._

_The lightbulb in the warehouse started to flicker and lighted up, showing the frightened face of their target, who was holding a gun to his temple._

* * *

><p>"W-wait. What are you doing?" Tsuna yelled, reaching toward the man in an attempt to stop him from committing suicide.<p>

"Y-you all are going to k-kill me anyways. I-I'd rather die in my own hands than killed by you monsters." The man trembled, his eyes containing fear and hatred.

Tsuna winced at the accusation. The only thing he hated more than being called a girl is being called a monster. Tsuna slowly put his gun away and raised his hands to show that he doesn't mean any harm. In a soft voice that one uses when talking to wounded animals, Tsuna said, "We're not going to kill you. Please, I just want to know what you did against the family. If you tell us the truth, I promise I'll let you go." Now this is a very dangerous thing to promise because Tsuna could be guaranteeing the escape of a traitor to the family for all he knows. However, his Hyper Intuition told him that this man could be trusted.

The man slowly lowered the gun from his temple, but doubt remains in his eyes. "My name is Gilbert. I didn't do anything wrong." The man then proceeded to his story. Tsuna was seething by the time the man finished. Even Yamamoto, the calm and always-grinning Yamamoto, was angry.

It turned out that Gilbert's wife, Emily, was favored by Carlos. She met Carlos at the bakery she worked at and was immediately noticed by him. Even though she tried to refuse his advances, he'd forced her to quit the bakery and come live with him at the base. Gilbert had stepped up to defend his wife and was beaten by Carlos's men. Seeing her husband being hurt, Emily had finally agreed to Carlos's demand. Gilbert had tried to get Emily back but to no avail. And now, Carlos had sent men to get rid of Gilbert all together.

Tsuna couldn't believe his ears. Not only was Carlos the one who'd started it, he'd also ordered hitmen to kill Gilbert. "I understand now, Gilbert. Don't worry, everything will be ok." Tsuna said, then snapped out his phone and dialed Hibari's number.

As soon as Hibari picked up, Tsuna mumbled, "There's a stray cat at Warehouse 2-A. Pick it up and wait for further instruction." Tsuna had spoken in Italian (one of the languages Reborn had pounded into Tsuna's Dame-head) and the message was coded so Ed would not understand.

"Hn," was Hibari's only reply before he hung up.

"Well. It's nice meeting you, Gilbert. I was just wondering one thing though. Why were you trying to commit suicide?" Tsuna asked. He wasn't surprised though 'cuz committing suicides is daily occurrence in the mafia world.

"Well, I knew you mafiosos are good at dodging and stuff so I knew there were less than 10% of you being killed due to my bullet. I shot the bullet in the first place because I thought I might be lucky and hit one of you. But once the light turned on, I knew I wouldn't stand a chance against four mafiosos so I though the best option out was to die."

"Dying is never a solution to anything." Tsuna said indignantly, then softened his voice when Gilbert shrank back. "Only cowards think that dying is best because they couldn't face life anymore. You still have things you live for so don't try to commit suicide again. I promise you that Emily will return to you soon." With that, Tsuna motioned for Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ed to exit the warehouse.

Turning back to the gaping man, Tsuna leaned in and whispered, "Stay here for a few minutes. Someone will come and pick you up. Just go with him, ok? Well, bye, Gilbert." Tsuna walked out after his comrades.

Once outside, Ed immediately turned and shouted, "What the hell? We were supposed to warn that man. How are we going to report now? And who are you really? How can you just decide to let the man go without boss's permission? And why did you let him go in the first place?"

"Calm down Ed. I'm nobody, just a hitman who doesn't want to harm someone who had done nothing wrong. Nobody will know that we let him go if you keep your mouth shut. And think about it Ed, would you really harm that man knowing that his reasons for possibly harming the family were justified?" Tsuna inquired softly. Secretly he thought, 'I know Ed is a good man. He would not want to harm someone like that? Hopefully, he would not tell Gerald out of loyalty to his boss.'

Ed contemplated for a moment. He really did pity the man; losing your family is never good just as protecting your family is a justified cause for almost anything. "Very well. I'll keep this a secret, but don't expect me to believe that you're a nobody. I'll be watching you carefully from now on, Sora. Now let's head back."

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><p>30 minutes later in Gerald's office…<p>

"Mission completed. Target had been warned." Tsuna said with a serious face, not revealing any emotions.

"Good. You can rest now. By the way, Sora, your two other comrades and the little girl had been sent on a mission too. They should be back soon." Gerald replied, not even asking for evidence. He then turned back to his paperwork, which Carlos had apparently dumped on him.

"Thank you." Tsuna walked out of the office with his friends.

A few minutes later, Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto are in their rooms talking with Ed. Erik, Alex, and Albert nowhere to be seen. Tsuna had managed to get Ed to reveal how he'd joined the mafia and how his life had been ever since he joined. It turned out that Ed was orphan and was ten years old when he'd joined Vongola. He had tried to pick Gerald's pocket and was caught. After that, Gerald had pitied the boy and carried him back to the base. Since then, Gerald had treated him really well, like Ed was his son.

After hearing this, Tsuna thought, 'I knew Gerald was a good person. Now I just need to know why a man like Gerald would follow Carlos. Could it be blackmail –' Tsuna was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Standing up, Yamamoto went to open the door, revealing Onii-san, Lambo, and Chrome standing there. Ryohei and Chrome had on serious faces while Lambo had a disgusted expression. Worried that something might have happened, Tsuna walked toward the three.

Just as he reached them, Onii-san leaned in and whispered to Tsuna, "Punishment. Reason unjustified. We'd let him go."

"Very well. Good work, Ryu." Tsuna said, a frown etching his face. Yamamoto, Lambo, and Chrome had joined Gokudera and was now talking to Ed. Tsuna and Ryohei soon joined them. The four talked about random things and bantered until the door slammed open to reveal Erik and Albert carrying a drunk Alex in the middle. Silence ensued as both sides stare at each other.

Tsuna then stood up and said, "Everyone. Let's go to the diner, ne? I haven't had lunch yet and I doubt you guys had time for it either." Everyone agreed and followed Tsuna to the diner, leaving Erik, Alex, and Albert in their room.

* * *

><p>One hour later…<p>

Tsuna was still in the diner talking to his friends when his phone suddenly rang, causing everyone in the diner to turn to look at Tsuna. Blushing slightly, Tsuna pulled out his phone to see Hibari's number playing across his screen. His expression immediately turned serious because Hibari only calls during urgent or emergency situations (him being surrounded by enemies would NOT be an emergency because he's a carnivore and can handle it himself).

"Who is it, Sora?" Yamamoto grinned. It feels weird to call Tsuna by Sora; this is his first time using the aliases in front of someone outside the inner family. He could tell that the others were slightly surprised as well.

"It's Kyoya." Tsuna said, calling Hibari by his first name in hopes that no one recognizes the identity of the caller. Now that he thinks about it, Tsuna should have forced Hibari to use an alias as well. That would be very useful in this situation. Fortunately, his guardians immediately realized who it was and understood the reason Tsuna had used Hibari's first name.

"I see." Yamamoto said, his expression serious, his eyes widened in surprise and worry.

"You guys continue. I'll be back in a little bit." Tsuna then walked out of the diner.

"Yes? Is something wrong?" Tsuna said as soon as he picked up.

"Hn. The cat you told me to pick up has been sheltered."

"Oh. Is that it? Whew. I thought you were going to give to super bad news." Tsuna said in relief.

"I'm not done yet. I just received information that the boss of the Nubo Family is coming here to meet the German branch's boss."

"WHAT? Why would he meet Carlos? Negotiations, treaties, or interfamily exchanges are dealt between bosses. Why didn't he go to Italy to meet me? This is suspicious. Had Carlos been exchanging with other bosses as well? Hibari-san, can you search that up for me? This is certainly a surprise. I wonder what else Carlos is hiding? Hmm." Tsuna mused, trying to think of a reason for Nubo's arrival.

"Instead of worrying about that, why don't you worry about the fact that Nubo might recognize you."

"Oh crap. I forgot about that. I'll figure something out. Thanks for the warning, Hibari. And Hibari-san?"

"Hn?"

"Don't come tomorrow unless a fight that concerns us breaks out. Someone might recognize you."

"Hn." Hibari then hung up, and Tsuna walked back inside to his friends, his face having a calculative expression.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile...<p>

"Ne. Who's Kyoya?" Ed asked after Tsuna left, his expression innocently ignorant.

Yamamoto grinned sheepishly before saying, "That's... Haha... He's –"

"He's our friend." Gokudera cut Yamamoto off before he could 'accidentally' reveal anything important.

"Is he strong then?" Ed asked, not knowing how ridiculous this question sounds.

Everyone tried to stifle their laughter. Even Gokudera's serious face twitched as he answered, "Yes. Very!"

"After all, he's a carnivore." Ryohei added softly after he'd finished laughing. Everyone nodded. Chrome smiled a secretive smile when she saw Ed's confused expression.

* * *

><p>Back to Tsuna...<p>

"How was it, Sora?" Yamamoto said, being the first to notice Tsuna's return. All the guardians turned their worried gaze toward their boss.

"Something unexpected came up. We might have time to play a little hide-and-seek tomorrow." Tsuna said quietly, hoping that his friends understood his words. Everyone nodded, excluding Ed, understanding their boss. After all, they've all gotten quite adept at reading their boss's movements and gestures.

After a few minutes, Ed returned to his room. Tsuna and the rest walked toward their rooms. He quietly explained to the others about Hibari's phone call and told them not to show their faces too much.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day past by uneventfully except a few bullying and mocking. Tsuna was now lying in his bed, trying to ignore the snoring coming from the other three occupants of the room. He was categorizing today's events and marking X's mentally. 'Damn. One fourth of the page already. At this rate, this branch won't even last the whole week. Hopefully, Nubo won't recognize me tomorrow or this mess might just get worse.'<p>

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><p><strong>AN: ~Please review! Arigatou gozaimatsu for reading!~ :D**

**Gomen for mistakes!**

**I'm currently taking finals so I might not be able to update until next week! Very sorry! I'll try to write again as soon as possible! :(**

**Thank you very much for everything! I'll update soon! Ja na!**


	4. Day 2: Hide and seek

**Hi guys! I'm back! Here's the newest chapter; hope you enjoy!  
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**Warnings: language and OOC-ness (the cool kind of OOC, not the lame kind)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tsuna... blah blah blah!  
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**Thank you to all reviewers and readers! I appreciate you taking your time to read and review my story! Love you all!**

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><p><span>Day 2: Hide-and-Seek<span>

Tsuna yawned as he walks to the diner with his friends. His wake-up call this morning was harsh and unceremonious, and his back was now killing him. 'What a way to start a day!' Tsuna thought.

_Flashback__ (one hour ago…)_

_Tsuna was happily dancing around in Lala-land and catching up to some sleep when suddenly, he found himself pushed out of bed and straight into the edge of Gokudera's bed. Tsuna's eyes and mouth popped open, and he gasped in pain when his back crashed into the edge and almost cracked. He fell and laid face-down on the carpet, dazed. 'Was that an enemy attack?' Tsuna thought tiredly, feeling his lower back going numb.  
><em>

_Still in his stupor, Tsuna heard Erik, who was lying on his bed for some reason, said, "Oops. Sorry. Alex accidentally threw me into you."_

_Gokudera and Yamamoto was now awake and was scooting as far away from Tsuna as possible, who was now sitting up. They couldn't see his expression because his head was bent, but they could guess what he was thinking right now. 'Oh god. Why do they keep asking to get killed one time after another? They must want to die really badly to anger boss this much' both Gokudera and Yamamoto thought, opting to call Tsuna by 'boss' instead of his name because that's what he is right now. A very, VERY angry boss._

_Gokudera and Yamamoto felt shivers run down their spine when an evil laugh filled the air. Even, Erik and Alex had stopped their arguments and were now staring at the brunette._

"_HAHAHAHA." Tsuna laughed, lifting his head up to reveal red-orange eyes burning furiously. Everyone gasped. _

"_Would you like to visit the underworld?" Tsuna asked in a deep voice, smiling a deadly sweet smile. Erik, Alex, and even Albert, who hadn't done anything, were stunned._

_Gokudera and Yamamoto decided it was time to interfere lest their boss ruined their disguises. Both stood in front of Tsuna, blocking him from view while trying to calm him down. After a few minutes, Tsuna was back to normal, though he was still a little irritated. Seeing Tsuna act like normal afterwards, Erik, Alex, and Albert dismissed the unusual orange eyes and deep voice as a fragment of their imagination. Still the three didn't want to bother Tsuna again in case they get a free one-way ticket to hell._

_While everyone was busy standing there stunned, Tsuna was busy marking one whole row of X's. 'Carlos should thank these three for contributing to his downfall... God, I think I'm paralyzed. Oh no, I might have to use a wheel chair for the rest of my life,' Tsuna thought sadistically, applying pressure to his back to ease the pain._

_End Flashback_

Tsuna was now joined by Onii-san, Lambo, Chrome, and Ed. Everyone started eating and chatting until they heard the bell rang. Tsuna and other hitmen piled out of the diner and into the courtyard for their daily training. Just like yesterday, Tsuna and his friends sparred with each other, although with a different partner this time. Tsuna was now sparring with Onii-san, Yamamoto with Ed, Gokudera with Lambo (this pair had some serious trouble accepting their partners), and finally, Chrome was sparring with some other female hitman (or should I say hitwoman).

Nothing was out of ordinary until halfway through the training, a guard came in with urgent news for Carlos. He yelled across the courtyard full of fighting hitmen, "Boosss. The Nubo boss is here, boss."

Tsuna's head whipped up at this news. His eyes widened in dismay. He didn't think Nubo would come this early in the morning. 'Crap. I haven't even thought of a plan yet. What are we going to do? What are we going to do?' Tsuna panicked and it must have shown on his face because Onii-san laid a hand on his shoulder and said, "Calm down. Everything will be alright."

Tsuna took a deep breath. 'Yes. That's right. Everything's going to be ok. First, we need to get out of here first. Chrome can distract him, then create an illusion and escape. Yes, that's a good plan. We'll go to the hotel where Hibari's staying. After that… after that, we'll… gah, I'll think about that later.'

Tsuna immediately put his plan into action. "Yuki, a little... imagination would be helpful right now, don't you think? And afterwards, the pineapple should return to the skylark, ne ~" He said meaningfully, knowing that Chrome would understand that the rendezvous is at Hibari's hotel . The rest appeared to have catch on as well, except Ed of course.

Chrome silently walked toward Ed, who was looking toward the gates hoping to catch a glimpse of the Nubo boss. After seeing that Ed was thoroughly distracted, Tsuna turned to his other guardians and motioned for them to head toward the gates.

Soon, the five had reached the gates and were trying to quietly sneak past the gatekeepers. They'd seen the Nubo boss at the entrance but luckily, he was too snotty to look at 'normal' hitmen like them. Tsuna sighed in relief as they finally passed through the gates. 'Since when does the boss of the strongest mafia family, the Vongola family, have to sneak around like a rat? Oh yeah, since he came to the Vongola German branch.' Tsuna thought sarcastically.

After a few minutes, Chrome materialized next to him and all six walked toward Hotel Königshof (Tsuna had no idea why Hibari had picked a hotel that's so hard to pronounce), where Hibari was staying (Hibari had wanted to stay at an inn like in Japan but there were no inns so he had to stay at a hotel). It was still early in the morning so they didn't receive too many stares.

* * *

><p>One hour later…<p>

Tsuna was now sitting on Hibari's bed while the others gather around him. Hibari was not anywhere near Tsuna but at least he was still in the room. Tsuna winced as he propped himself up onto his elbow. His forearm was now sporting a bruise thanks to Hibari.

_Flashback_ _(30 minutes ago…)_

_Tsuna knocked on Hibari's hotel room three times gently, hoping that Hibari was in. While waiting for Hibari to open the door, Tsuna turned back to his friends and listened to their conversations. That's why he was unprepared for the attack that came from the door. Tsuna swung his arm up to block the blow and turned to face his attacker, only to falter at Hibari's face._

"_I'll bite you to death for disturbing my peace." Hibari said, swinging his tonfas around. Everyone sighed and Tsuna wondered if this was how his Cloud Guardian treats his guests._

_After blocking several more consecutive blows (Gokudera tried to help but was held back by Yamamoto, who figured he would just cause more damage), Tsuna finally yelled, "Stop, Hibari. We're here on urgent business and you'd better let us in right now."_

"_Wao. The herbivore talked back. I'll look toward our duel that you promised me then." With that, Hibari turned and went back into his room. Tsuna groaned when he remembered his rash promise to Hibari. If Reborn hadn't rush him so much and force him to take Hibari on the mission, he wouldn't have to fight with the skylark when they get back. 'In the end, everything is Reborn's fault.' Tsuna shouted silently to the sky in anguish.  
><em>

_End Flashback_

"So… What should we do now to the extreme?" Ryohei bellowed, making Lambo clutch his ears.

"I guess the only thing we can do right now is stay here. Hibari-san, do you have any information on the Nubo or Carlos's exchanges?" Tsuna asked, turning to his Cloud guardian, who was standing off in the corner away from the group.

Hibari stalked out of the room and returned a few minutes later with a manilla folder. He tossed it to Tsuna, who caught it neatly in the air. "This is all the info I was able to find so far." Then, Hibari returned to his little corner and sulked for no reason.

Tsuna opened the file and started to read aloud, "The Nubo Family, a minor family, was started by Benedict Nubo, the first Nubo boss. Their base is situated in Naples, Italy, and the current Nubo boss, Henrik, is not majorly involved in any family alliances. The Nubo Famiglia claims to be a neutral family, and is rarely involved in any mafia conflicts or wars. Henrik, as described by one of his subordinates, is lazy and does not care about anything but his own needs. For that reason, the Nubo family lacks loyal subordinates and consists mostly of hired assasins." Tsuna finished the little report and looked up.

"Because hired assassins know all the big targets, it's suspected that Nubo had at least heard the name Vongola. This means that there's a possibility Nubo knows your face," Hibari added, looking toward Tsuna.

"Eh? How does assassins knowing big targets build up to Nubo knowing my face? I mean, I'm not part of any big-target list." Tsuna said ignorantly, his face crunched up in honest confusion. Everyone facepalmed.

Gokudera sweatdropped and explained to his beloved boss, "J-Jyuudaime, you're at the very top of the list. Everyone who has connections in the mafia had at least heard of your name... I'm not kidding! Why else do you think you have to be in disguise every time you leave the mansion? It's thanks to our extensive information network that we were able to cover up most of your private life information. Or else you'd be dodging snipers and assassin attempts every single day."

"Really? I'm that famous?" Tsuna questioned innocently. "Then why doesn't Carlos know who I am?"

This time, it was Yamamoto who answered. "Because, Tsuna, the image of you that we released into the mafia world is of when you're in Hyper Dying Will Mode. Your orange eyes and scary expression would have made any boss think twice before ordering hitmen attack you. But that was only part of the reason. The other part of it is to protect your real image from the mafia world. No one would attack you if you're not in HDWM because no one would recognize you. After all, who would associate a cute, petite brunette to a scary, fiery-eyed boss."

Tsuna blushes at Yamamoto's nonchalant compliment and said, "I-I see." Then he thought of something and asked Yamamoto, "Then does anyone know my real identity?"

However, instead of Yamamoto replying, Ryohei, who was the leader of the Media/Underground Connections Department (each guardian specify in an area and oversee departments related to their field) cut in and said, "Only those in the alliance. Of course, some of our enemies also know your identity. There are others as well, such as spies, assassins, and hitmen. But the point is that we try to keep as much of you hidden as possible."

'They're treating me like an A-class secret, some valuable treasure they have protect. I'm not a baby!' Tsuna thought indignantly, but knows better than to say it out loud. "Anyways, do you have any information on Carlos's deals, Hibari-san?"

"Hn. It's under that report about Nubo." Hibari replied.

"Oh. Here it is." Tsuna said, pulling out a single sheet of paper and started reading. "Carlos Adler, 38-years-old, was appointed boss of the Vongola German branch two years ago. Ever since he became the boss, the German branch had constantly been receiving criticism and insults. His cruelty and heartlessness is known throughout Germany. Recently, he had been meeting with bosses from minor family in order to plan a coup d'état against the Vongola Decimo…"

Tsuna trailed off in surprise. "Me? He's planning to revolt against me? But I didn't do anything."

"Continue reading and you'll find out." Hibari said.

"Ok. Umm… Let's see. Carlos's family was heavily involved in the mafia. His father and mother are informants for Vongola. His sister was especially talented as a spy. However, during one of her missions, she went missing. A few months later, she was declared MIA, missing-in-action. After this, Carlos was not the same boy anymore. He started to train harder than ever and went on missions at a young age. Just when he was about to recover from his loss, his father and mother died due to sickness. Upon this sudden news, Carlos turned bitter and angry. Not having anyone to guide him afterwards, Carlos went down the wrong path. He turned all his anger onto Vongola and started to plot revenge for his family. However, he did not act rashly but instead waited for his chance. And now, when he's finally boss of a branch, he's beginning to put his life-long plan into action." Tsuna concluded, not knowing how to react to this news.

Sure he was angry that Carlos's goal is to overthrow Vongola, but he also pities the man. After all, Carlos is just another soul, lost in the world and not having any friends to share his pain with. However, that does not excuse him for forcing his pain onto others and hurting them. 'Gaah, this is so confusing. I don't know what to think of Carlos anymore…' Tsuna thought.

As if knowing Tsuna's inner struggle, the rest of the guardians stayed silent, waiting for their boss to decide. After a few minutes of deep contemplation, Tsuna finally said with resolution, "I'll give him a chance to prove himself. He has the rest of the week to change his ways. If he does change, I'll spare his life and just make him resign from office. I'll also make him swear never to kill again and to atone for his sins. However, if he does not change, then the punishment must be carried out."

Silence spread throughout the room. Nobody agreed nor disagreed with his decision. Tsuna was starting to get anxious and nervous at his guardians' lack of response.

Finally, Lambo spoke, voicing everyone's concern, "How are you gonna know that he had changed?"

"Oh. Good point. I can't reveal myself and he sure isn't gonna trust me enough to let me carry out orders directly from him. And I can't just follow him around to watch him in actions. Hmm. What should I do?" Tsuna scratched his head, trying to think of possible ways to approach the German boss without raising suspicion.

A few minutes later, Tsuna smiled brightly. Everyone perked up, anxiously straining to hear their boss's brilliant plan. Tsuna opened his mouth and said to his guardians, "I don't know. I can't think of anything right now. I'll cross that bridge when it comes."

Silence… No response… Then

Ryohei, Chrome, and Hibari sweatdropped while Yamamoto grinned sheepishly and Gokudera face-planted on the bed. Lambo actually fell out of the bed. All of them were surprised and exasperated by their boss's reply. A thought ran through everyone's minds. 'How can he be so carefree at a time like this?' However, before anyone could voice their complaints, they were cut off by a sudden sound.

RING! RING!

Tsuna jerked as his ringtone cut through the uncomfortable atmosphere. He pulled his phone out and when he saw who the caller was, his brows crunched up in confusion. Seeing this, Gokudera asked, "Who is it, Jyuudaime?"

"It's Ed. How does he know my number though? The only person at the base who knows my number is Gerald."

"T-Then, how do you know it's Ed? I don't remember him giving you his number so he should not be in your contact list. Therefore, your screen should display 'unknown caller.' How do you know it's him?" Gokudera continued, his face wearing a puzzling expression.

"Hyper Intuition," Tsuna replied absent-mindedly. He was staring at his phone with an intense expression as if expecting it to come alive and answer his questions.

"Why don't you answer the call, Tsuna? Maybe you'll find out how Ed knows your number." Yamamoto said gently, prodding Tsuna in the back.

"Ok." Tsuna flipped his phone and said, "Hello, Sora here."

"Sora! Thank goodness you answered! Where were you? You disappeared right after training. I had to ask Gerald to give me your phone number. Anyways, you are one lucky bastard. I –" Ed bursted out excitedly.

"Wait. Calm down… Explain." Tsuna said.

"Ok. You and your five friends are going on a mission. And guess what your mission is?" Ed gushed, then continued without waiting for Tsuna to answer. "You all are going to accompany the Nubo boss somewhere. I don't know the details but it's a really important mission. You'll definitely get promoted if you complete it. God, I'm so jealous. I wish I was you. Anyways, you need to get back here immediately. Boss is waiting for you. I'll see you at the base, Sora! Bye!"

"Wait, Ed! What are you talking about…" Tsuna trailed off when he heard the beep that indicates Ed had hung up. 'Damn you, Ed! So we have to go on a mission... with the… Nubo... BOSS?' Tsuna's brain was finally catching up to what Ed had said. His eyes dilated with shock as he realized what he just heard.

Gokudera shook his boss as he saw the look of shock settled onto Tsuna's face. "Jyuudaime, Jyuudaime, what's wrong?" Gokudera passed hand over Tsuna's face, repeating his question over and over. Tsuna didn't even flinch. Finally, exasperated, Gokudera shouted, "JYUUDAIME!"

Tsuna jerked. He looked at each of his guardians and whispered two words: "Oh, crap!"

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><p><strong>AN: ~Haha, cliffy!... Anyways, I've been trying to update this chapter for a few days now but each time I try, it keeps saying processing errors. Finally, I was able to update it today! Thanks for waiting for me!~**

** I apologize if the ending's a bit rushed. My brain was fried after the finals so I couldn't think of any ideas as to how to end the chapter. Again, I apologize for any mistakes and such!**

**I'll update as soon as possible so... see you soon, ne~?**


	5. Day 2: The Nubo Boss

**Wow! It took me...like...two hours to finish this chapter! Hope you like it!  
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**Warning: language**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tsuna and very jealous of Akira Amano.**

**Here's chapter 5! Hope you guys enjoy Tsuna's experience with Nubo! Thank you for your support so far and I hope you all will continue to support me! Please read and REVIEW (make sure you do the latter!)  
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><p><span>Day 2: The Nubo Boss<span>

_Gokudera shook his boss as he saw the look of shock settled onto Tsuna's face. "Jyuudaime, Jyuudaime, what's wrong?" Gokudera passed a hand over Tsuna's face, repeating his question over and over. Tsuna didn't even flinch. Finally, exasperated, Gokudera shouted, "JYUUDAIME!"_

_Tsuna jerked. He looked at each of his guardians and whispered two words: "Oh, crap!"_

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><p>"What, Jyuudaime? What happened?" Gokudera yelled, shaking his boss. He's worried now since not a lot could shake Tsuna this much.<p>

"SNAP OUT OF IT TO THE EXTREME, SAWADA!" Ryohei said, then leaned forward to lightly punch Tsuna in the face.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Tsuna yelled back, finally snapping out of it and fingering his injured cheek.

"YOU WERE SPACED OUT TO THE EXTREME! Now tell us what's going on!" Ryohei shouted, thinking of all the horrible news that Tsuna could have received.

"Geez… calm down. No need to punch me." Tsuna grumbled, then continued. "Anyways, Ed just said that we have to go back to the mansion for a mission."

"What's so bad about that?" Yamamoto asked, his face puzzled. Everyone else nodded, also wondering what's so bad about getting called back for a mission.

"The mission is to escort Nubo somewhere…" Tsuna said, giving his guardians a few minutes for the message to sink in. Chaos erupted.

"WHAT? What are we going to do?" Gokudera yelled, jumping off the bed and pacing around.

"Maybe we could disguise ourselves?" Yamamoto suggested, a smile still pasted on his face.

"No, Yakyuu-baka! We're already in disguise. If we disguise even more, like dye our hair or something, Ed and Gerald and the others at the base might not even recognize us. And if they do, they would get suspicious and wonder why we're in disguise! What we need is a way to hide ourselves in front of Nubo only!" Gokudera explained. He stopped his pacing and looked up, only to find four mouths (Tsuna's, Yamamoto's, Ryohei's, and Lambo's) hanging open in confusion.

"Come again?" Tsuna asked, tilting his head cutely to one side.

Gokudera sighed and took out his glasses. Tsuna immediately regretted his question. 'Here comes Gokudera's super complex lecture!' everyone, minus Hibari, thought.

"When we came to the German branch, we were already in disguise. Although we did not change our appearance, we did change our name. Now, Ed and Gerald and the people at the German branch would associate our current appearance with our aliases. This means that if we come back with another appearance, they would not recognize us. Therefore, we can't change our appearance even if it's so that the Nubo boss would not recognize us." Gokudera explained, making gestures and drawing figures to help the others understand.

"I get it…," Tsuna said hesitantly, "I think…"

Gokudera sighed, exasperated. "The point is that we can't disguise ourselves. The end!"

"Haha… I get it! I understand now! You should have said that from the beginning instead of giving us your complicated lecture." Yamamoto grinned, patting Gokudera on the back. The only response he received was an annoyed hiss from our right-hand man.

"Anyways… let's go back to the base guys! We'll figure things out as we go!" Tsuna said, sliding down from the bed and heading toward the door.

* * *

><p>30 minutes later…<p>

Tsuna and his guardians walked through the gates, only to be greeted by a bouncing, hyperactive Ed. 'I didn't know Ed had this childish side to him,' Tsuna thought as he followed Ed to where the Nubo boss is waiting.

_Flashback__ (25 minutes ago…)_

_Tsuna walked toward the hotel room door, his guardians right behind him. Motioning for the others to go ahead, he turned back to Hibari and said, "Hibari-san, while we're doing this mission, can you find more information about Nubo and Carlos's dealings? I want to know the locations, dates, and details of each negotiation. I also want to know who we need to watch out for, meaning the names of the bosses that have betrayed me by joining Carlos in his coup-d'état."_

"_Hn."_

"_Oh, and how's Gilbert?" Tsuna asked, suddenly remembering that he had entrusted Gilbert's safety to Hibari._

"_He's fine. He's staying with Kusasabe." Hibari answered in monotone voice._

"_Kusasabe-san is here? I didn't know that… Well, just make sure that Kusasabe-san stays hidden too. I'll contact you later, ok?" Tsuna said, then walked out of the room to join his friends after Hibari nodded._

_Catching up to his friends, Tsuna asked, "So how do we get Nubo to not recognize me?"_

_Being the ever rational right-hand man, Gokudera answered, "Jyuudaime, there's a 50% chance that Nubo might recognize you. I think if you just avoid facing him directly, he would not be able to recognize you. After all, according to Hibari's information, Henrik is a lazy boss; I doubt he spent his time memorizing the face of all the big targets. It's his assassin guards that are a problem to us, since they have a higher chance of recognizing you. However, if we could somehow convince Nubo to not take his guards with him, we might be able to pull this off."_

"_Ah, I see. You guys will have to cover for me, then."_

"_Of course, Tsuna." Yamamoto responded immediately._

"_Hmm. We'll just have to trust in our luck." Tsuna said, speeding up his pace. Everyone fell silent, lost in their own thoughts. Soon, they had reached the mansion._

_End Flashback_

"Where have you been?" Ed asked, trying to start a conversation with the unusually silent group.

"Oh, somewhere." Tsuna answered vaguely. "What happened when we were gone?"

"Shit, you should have seen it. Everyone was crowding around Nubo, trying to get a glimpse of him. We were all vying for his attention in hopes of getting promoted, you know. It was total chaos. Gerald dismissed everyone before it got out of hand though. Then the Nubo had some discussion with boss. I don't know what happened, but afterwards, I was told to call you back and tell you that you have a mission." Ed explained cheerfully, his tone slightly envious.

"I see. Where are we going now?" Tsuna asked while inside, he thought, 'You think I want this goddamn mission, Ed? If it wasn't because this part is in my job description and because Reborn would flay me alive if I don't obey him, I would not be here at all. You think I want something as insignificant as Nubo's attention? Damn it all! Why does the world keep trying to get in my way?'

Oblivious to Tsuna's inner conversation, Ed answered, "We're going to meet the Nubo. Gerald is there too; he'll explain the details of your mission."

After a few minutes of walking and chatting, the group finally stopped in front of Carlos's office, where Tsuna had first experienced the nastiness of this place. Ed knocked gently on the door three times, and was answered by Gerald, who led them into the office while Ed turned and left. A sense of déjà-vu washed over Tsuna as he and his guardians stood in front of Carlos's mahogany desk. The only difference was that there was another man sitting next to Carlos.

'He looks weak!' was Tsuna's first thought as he eyed the man whom he assumed was the Nubo boss. The man was not fat, but he certainly wasn't fit either. His slightly pudgy face was looking down at Tsuna and his friends with a prideful expression. His eyes were small and round, the eyes of a frog; and his lips were thin and parched. The Nubo boss was wearing an expensive tailored suit, as if to show off his wealth, though Tsuna's not impressed. Tsuna's own tailors could easily make a suit a thousand times more elegant than that in less than an hour.

Turning away from Nubo with a slightly disgusted expression, Tsuna glanced at the assassin guards around him. 'They're experienced' Tsuna thought, as he took note of their sharp postures and the tense air that surround each, as if they were ready to jump into action anytime. 'Gokudera-kun's right, I have to watch out for these assassins.' Before Tsuna could finish analyzing the guards, however, Gerald spoke up.

"Sora, you and your comrades, are going to accompany Henrik-sama to the dock two miles from here to pick up some shipments. Your jobs are to protect him and aid him if necessary, no more, no less. Henrik-sama will deal with the negotiation and stuff like that so just remain vigilant and protect him. After you're done at the dock, escort him back to the mansion and report to me. Any questions?"

Making sure that his bangs cover most of his face, Tsuna raised his hand slightly and asked, "Will it be just us six or are there more guards?"

"It'll just be you six. This shows the mutual trust both parties, German branch and Nubo, have in each other. That's why this mission is very important. Make sure you protect Henrik-sama with your lives."

"Yes, sir!" was the response from the six standing in front of Carlos's desk.

Looking down at the floor to avoid eye-contact, Tsuna directed his question at Henrik, "Do you want to leave right now, sir?"

"Yes" was the curt response from the disdainful boss, who stood up, bowed to Carlos, and made his way out of the office. None of his assassin guards followed him. Tsuna shared a glance with all his guardians and after bowing to both Carlos and Gerald, followed Nubo out the door.

As soon as they were out of the office, Nubo turned and said to Tsuna scornfully, "I don't see how a puny guy – are you even a guy? – like you could protect from harm." Nubo then walked away toward the gate, missing the way Tsuna's brows twitched dangerously. Grudgingly, Tsuna followed "Henrik-sama" with his guardians at his tail. Inwardly groaning, Tsuna thought, 'This is going to be one _long_ day."

* * *

><p>One hour later…<p>

Tsuna stood slightly behind and to the right of Nubo, glancing around every few minutes to watch for any threat or danger. They were currently conducting negotiation with the owner of the shipments. While appearing to be watchful and vigilant of the surrounding, Tsuna was actually paying careful attention to the discussion that was going on between Nubo and the owner.

_Flashback__ (one hour ago…)_

_Tsuna and his guardians followed Nubo out to the courtyard of the base, where a black, bulletproof limo was waiting. Nubo immediately got into the back, leaving Tsuna and the rest to sort out their seating arrangement. Finally, it was decided that Ryohei will sit shotgun while the rest sit in the back with Nubo. Tsuna could barely contain his horror when he was seated with Nubo to his right and Lambo to his left. He didn't mind Lambo but sitting next to Nubo certainly doesn't help the mission._

_As the limo took off, a silence fell over the interior of the car. The silence was awkward and tense until Henrik let out a huff and slouch down in his seat. Everyone relaxed slightly and chatted amiably, though they kept the volume low._

_All along the ride, Henrik never tried to participate in the conversations and no one tried to include him anyways. By the time they reached the dock, Tsuna was almost to snapping point because he couldn't take anymore of the boss's snotty attitude. Thankfully, as soon as he got off the limo, Henrik was engaged in a conversation with the owner, which led us to what was happening presently._

_End flashback_

"How much is the entire shipment?" Henrik growled to the owner, whose name Tsuna had learned was Gunther.

"I've already told you. It's 50 million. Take it or leave it." Gunther answered, exasperated with the Nubo boss since they'd talked about this for over fifteen minutes now.

Tone resigned, shoulders slumped, Henrik finally nodded and said, "Very well. Let me see the goods first though."

Beckoning for them to follow him, Gunther led them toward a vacant place near the dock, where cargoes after cargoes were being loaded off the ship. Henrik walked forward with Tsuna and his guardians right behind him and opened one of the cargo to reveal neatly stacked guns. Picking one up, Henrik ran one hand over its smooth, black surface. Still caressing the gun, Henrik turned to Tsuna and said, "See this baby? It's the newest technology, imported from the U.S. It might beat even Vongola advanced technology." Then, pointing the gun toward the sea, Henrik test-shooted, causing the dockworkers to look up in fright.

Tsuna's eyes widened as he took a good look at the gun. No wonder it's so familiar and no wonder it's better than Vongola technology. It _**is **_Vongola technology. Tsuna's gears started to grind as he tried to figure out what was going on. He remembered Reborn showing him the blueprint and test-experiment of this particular model right before he had to come down to the German branch for Inspection Week.

_Flashback__ (one week ago…)_

"_Reborn, what's so important that you have to pulled me out of my meeting immediately?" Tsuna whined, following his devilish tutor._

"_Your meeting was almost over anyways. I was saving you from having to talk to the old men longer than necessary." Reborn said casually. "Plus, this is really important. It's about the newest gun model Vongola scientists have developed."_

"_What about it?" Tsuna asked, now interested. Usually, all the stuff about Vongola technology and developments in the science field are handled by Giannini. Reborn would check with Giannini every two weeks and then report to Tsuna. Despite being the boss, Tsuna had never stepped into Vongola labs before._

_Turning back to the conversation, Reborn answered, "You'll see… Oh, we're here." Pointing toward one of the door, Reborn jumped onto Tsuna's shoulder and told him to open it. Tsuna inserted his finger into the fingerprint slot (Vongola security) and the door automatically opened. _

_As soon as Tsuna walked in, he gaped at the machines and robots that clogged the lab. Everywhere you could see evidence of experiments, from successes to failures. The lab workers looked up to see their boss and immediately halted in whatever they were doing to bow to him. Giannini suddenly scurried out from nowhere and bowed to Tsuna and Reborn._

"_Show it to him." Reborn ordered Giannini, who immediately pulled out a blueprint._

"_What's this?" Tsuna asked, taking the blueprint and glancing over it. _

"_It's the blueprint of the newest gun model that we have developed, Jyuudaime." Giannini answered, then proceeded to explain to Tsuna the key points, advantages and disadvantages of the gun. After he'd finished his explanation, Reborn jumped in and said, "This gun could very well be our advantage over some of our enemies. However, because it had not yet been tested and the safety measures are not yet complete, we have not been able to construct an actual model yet. It would be unwise to build a gun like this before the blueprint is completed. I just want to show you our progress on it. That's all. You may go back to your office to complete your paperwork." Having said that, Reborn disappeared into the depth of the lab, leaving a gaping Tsuna and an unsure Giannini._

_Tsuna thought sarcastically, 'Rigghhttt... you just want to show me the progress… Humph, more like waste my time. But I guess listening to Giannini's explanation is still better than listening to the elders' lectures back at the meeting.' After saying "thank you" to Giannini, Tsuna walked out of the lab and back to his office._

_End flashback_

Now, Tsuna thought, 'Where the hell did they get the blueprint for this? It should be a secret among the main branch staff. There must be a traitor in the main branch. I'll have to warn Reborn as soon as possible… I wonder if they completed the safety measures on these.' Careful not to show too much interest, Tsuna eyed the guns as well as Henrik.

Timidly, he spoke up, "May I ask, sir, what are these for?"

Henrik turned with eyebrows raised, as if he forgot that Tsuna could speak and was now surprised. He answered arrogantly, "Of course a mere soldier like you wouldn't know. Then let me enlighten you. Your boss is planning to revolt against Vongola Decimo, and I'm just helping him obtain the supplies. These babies could easily beat the so-called Dying Will Flames of Vongola."

If you listened carefully, you would have heard a snort coming from Gokudera and Lambo, but Henrik was too busy bragging to hear the sound.

After putting the gun back among the other cargoes, Henrik continued, "Anyways, we're done here." Turning to Gunther, he ordered, "Deliver these to Vongola German branch by tomorrow and you'll get double the payment."

"Of course, sir," Gunther replied then started shouting to his workers to work faster. Henrik, Tsuna and his guardians walked away.

The ride home was silent, with Tsuna lost in thought. As soon as they reached the mansion, the group made their way toward Carlos's office, where Gerald was waiting for them. Leaving Henrik to talk to Carlos, Gerald led Tsuna and the rest toward his own office. There, Tsuna reported about his mission, not in details but enough to satisfy Gerald.

Then, Tsuna walked back to his room, all the while still deep in thoughts. It wasn't until he bumped into someone that he snapped out of his deep contemplation. Tsuna fell down when he bumped into a wall of muscles. Looking up, Tsuna saw a giant gazing down at him.

A deep voice asked, "Are you alright?" The giant held down a hand to pull Tsuna up.

"Yes, thank you!" Tsuna answered, brushing dirt from his suit and looking back at the man, only to find him gazing at Tsuna with an almost puzzled expression. Just when the staring was about to get uncomfortable, the man spoke up, "I'm sorry but you look familiar. I'm sure I've seen you somewhere before. May I ask your name?"

Tsuna's eyes widened and his body freezed up; his only thought was 'Crap!'. Unable to respond, Tsuna thought his disguise that he'd worked so hard to cover up was about to be blown. And that's when the ever responsible right-hand man stepped in. Tsuna had never been more grateful for Gokudera's timing than he is now.

Moving to stand slightly in front of Tsuna, Gokudera said, "I'm sure Sora had never met you before. I'm with him most of the time and I'm pretty sure I haven't met you before so Sora could not possibly have met you before."

"Oh, ok." The man said, then turned and walked away.

Tsuna sighed in relief as soon as the man was out of sight and said, "I thought for sure that we were going to be discovered. He must have been one of the assassin guards of Nubo. That was so close. I'm not sure how long we can keep this hidden –"

"Keep what hidden?" Ed asked, appearing out of nowhere and causing Tsuna to jump guiltily.

"N-nothing." Tsuna mumbled, hoping that Ed will just let it go.

"Really?" Ed asked skeptically, but then he smiled brightly. "Whatever. So… how did it go?"

"How did what go?" Tsuna asked, bewildered by Ed's sudden mood-swing.

"The mission. I'm guessing since you guys are here that you completed it? Did you get promoted?"

"Oh, that. Yes, we completed the mission, and no, we did not get promoted." Tsuna answered, a bit relieved.

"Aww. I feel you, man. Boss don't treat newcomers that nice. Don't worry, you'll be promoted in no time." Ed comforted Tsuna, not knowing that his sympathy was totally unnecessary. "You guys must be tired, right? Let's go to dinner."

Everyone agreed and walked with Ed to the diner. After ordering his food, Tsuna leaned in to Gokudera and whispered, "I gotta make a call. Don't worry. Stay here and make sure the others don't follow me. I'll get Yamamoto to accompany me and I'll be back immediately." Then he turned and signaled to Yamamoto. Without questioning, Yamomoto nodded and both him and Tsuna stood up at the same time. Everyone's eyes flew over to them, a few curious gazes and a few worried stares.

"I need to go to the restroom. Don't worry! Just eat ahead of me if the food comes and I'll be back right away," Tsuna said to everyone, not bothering to explain why Yamamoto was coming with him.

Tsuna turned and walked out toward the courtyard with Yamamoto by his side. He knew the risk of standing in the open and making a phone call so that's why he has Yamamoto to guard him. Tsuna knows better than to make a phone call in his own room even if it's empty because there's a higher chance of being eavesdropped. Soon, he was in middle of the courtyard and had directed Yamamoto to stand a few feet away from him.

Snapping out his cell, he dialed Hibari's number, hoping that Hibari would pick up. Luckily, Hibari picked up right after the third ring.

"What?" Hibari said through the phone.

Tsuna sweatdropped at his guardian's rude greeting. "Umm… It looks like Carlos had been importing weapons from other countries. Have you found anything else about his deals?"

"No. He covered his tracks well. I'm still digging up stuff but not successful so far." Hibari grumbled the last part as if ashamed of his inability to find anything so far.

"I see. I'm afraid we're dealing with a very cunning fox here, one patient enough to wait years for a coup-d'état." Tsuna fell silent as he thought about his opponent.

Hibari didn't respond.

Tsuna continued after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. "Well, just keep digging up his records. We need evidence to be able to punish him. I'll contact you if I hear anything. Bye, Hibari-san."

"Hn" was all Hibari said before he hung up. Tsuna sighed and stared at his phone for a few minutes before dialing another number.

"Yes?" the person on the other end said when he picked up.

"Reborn." Tsuna murmured, for the first time glad that he had his tutor to give him advices.

Hearing Tsuna's whisper, Reborn said, "Oi, what's wrong?"

"It's just… nevermind." Tsuna said. 'This is no time to be telling him how much you miss him' Tsuna thought. Back to business, Tsuna continued, "I found something interesting today. You know that blueprint about the new model that you showed me?"

"Yeah?" Reborn answered, now paying attention to his Dame-student.

"Well, it's been constructed."

"Are you sure? According to Giannini, it's not ready yet. Are you sure you didn't mistake it for another prototype?" Reborn asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. I even saw its series number. You didn't distribute the blueprint, did you?"

"No, only those in the lab should even know of its existence."

"Then it looks like we have a traitor in the family." Tsuna said grimly. Silence ensued as both took in the seriousness of Tsuna's statement.

Then, finally, Reborn said, "I'll find this traitor. Don't worry, Dame-Tsuna. I'll deal with everything here."

"Ok. And Reborn?"

"Yeah?" Reborn answered, wondering what else could be bothering his useless student.

"Please raise the mansion's defense. Looks like we'll have a coup-d'état on our hands soon."

Silence.

Then Reborn said, "Ok." There's no time to explain so he'll just have to trust his student.

"Thanks Reborn. Bye." Tsuna replied, smiling slightly.

"Bye. Be safe." The last two words were a whisper so Tsuna wasn't sure if he heard it right. Surely Reborn wouldn't be concern about the safety of his favorite toy, now would he.

Having finished both of his calls, Tsuna walked back to the diner with Yamamoto. Nobody asked anything; they knew he would tell them when he's ready. While chatting amiably with his friends, Tsuna reviewed today's events and started marking X's again. There's not too many X's on the German branch today, but Tsuna had started marking the Nubo family on a new page. Branch markings differ from Famiglia markings. Tsuna is more careful when he marks a family because he knows that it is not as easy to deliver punishment on a family. Plus, delivering punishment on a family translates to declaring a war with that family and its allies. Still, Tsuna would annihilate the Nubo if he has to. If Henrik is wise, he'd stay away from Tsuna and not add to the already two neat rows of X's on the page. Overall, the German branch only gained a few X's since Tsuna was away most of the time. 'Even as I say that, they have already covered half-a-page. I pray Carlos realizes his mistakes before it's too late' Tsuna thought.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ~Whew... This is the longest chapter so far! Sorry for the wait! Again, as I have said so many times, I apologize for any mistakes! Please review; I would appreciate any feedback or comment!~**

**In case you guys are wondering about Famiglia markings, I'll give you more information. Basically, each family gets a page like the branch markings. The difference is that each X stands for an offense toward Tsuna or his family rather than offense to their own subordinates or normal citizens. This means that there are very few chances of a family filling up the entire page and getting punished. Also, before the actual punishment, the family gets a warning. If they don't follow the warning, that's then the war breaks out! Oh, and I'm no expect on guns so I'm not sure if guns have series number! If they don't, then oh well, pretend they do! Haha! Well, that's it!  
><strong>

**I hope you guys enjoy it and I'll see you soon! Arigatou and ja na!**


	6. Day 3: The Traitor

**Hey guys! Here's Ch. 6! **

**Warning: language**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tsuna (I know this sentence by heart now...)**

**Woohoo! We're approaching the finale! Just a few more chapters! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please PLEASE review for me!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><span>Day 3: The Traitor<span>

RING! RING!

"Wha-?" Tsuna snapped his head up, peering around dazedly and blinking sleep away. After a few seconds, he finally realized that his phone ringing was what had woken him, and everyone else, up. Alex and Eric glared at Tsuna while Albert mumbled something that sounds like "Too loud… in… morning!"

Standing up and grabbing his phone, he murmured a little "Sorry" and left the room. Once he was outside, Tsuna finally looked at the screen on his phone, which displayed the caller ID of Reborn. Feeling anxious, Tsuna picked up and said, "Reborn?"

"Dame-Tsuna, I have news for you."

"Oh. Can you wait a little, Reborn? I'm not exactly in a place where I could talk freely."

"Ok."

With that, Tsuna picked up his pace until he finally arrived at the courtyard where he had called Reborn last night. Checking around to see if anyone was present, Tsuna saw a middle-aged man smoking. Tsuna thought, 'He probably won't recognize me even if he listened to my conversation but just incase, I'll talk to Reborn somewhere else.' So Tsuna walked to the back of the mansion, where he wrinkled his nose in disgust at the garbage, bottles, and cigarette butts lying around.

"Ok, Reborn. What is it, and make it quick 'cuz I don't think my nose can stand the smell of this place for long."

"Very well. You know the traitor you were telling me about?" Reborn paused and Tsuna nodded even though he knew Reborn couldn't see the gesture. "Well, after you told me last night, I immediately went to find him. I found him two hours later, still working in the lab. Of course, I pulled him into our torture cell and confronted him about it, and he admitted that he did sell the blueprint. Since we were already in the cell, I just tortured him as punishment."

"Oh" was Tsuna's only response. He feels saddened for the traitor who just happened to betray the family right on the day that Reborn oversees the main branch. Poor guy will be maimed for life, both physically and mentally.

"And here comes the bad news." Reborn said, dismissing Tsuna's lack of reaction as shock. "The guy confessed to me that he sold copies to three people."

"WHAT?" Tsuna shouted, then lowered his voice. "What are we going to do now? Did you also take care of the copies-holders? Are they from the family?"

"What do you take me for, Dame-Tsuna? I'm a top-class hitman. Even if they're not from the family, I would still have taken care of them without causing a war. But fortunately for you and unfortunately for me, they're all from the family. However, I've only been able to take care of two of them. The last one escaped."

"What? Where did he escape to?" Tsuna asked quickly, panicking slightly.

"Again, luckily for you, I found out that he was headed to the German branch. Most likely, he did not know that you are currently inspecting this place. Estimating the time it takes to fly from Italy to Germany, he should probably be there by now. Watch your back 'cuz he might have infiltrated already."

"I see. Do you know his name? I'll try to find him here and take care of him." Tsuna responded, his brain already working to remember if there had been any new members lately.

"His name is Jakob. He might have used an alias though so don't base anything off of his name. I'll send you a picture of him through your phone but he could have disguised himself so don't judge off of that either. That's all."

"Thank you Reborn."

"You're welcome. And Tsuna? I trust that you will stop this coup-d'état before it reaches Italy, no?" And before Tsuna could even reply to that, Reborn had hung up.

Sighing, Tsuna snapped his phone shut and thought about the new responsibility that he had been given. Reborn's trust only made his burden that much heavier. While lost in thought, Tsuna heard his phone beeped. Snapping it open again, Tsuna saw a picture of the middle-aged man that had been smoking in the courtyard. 'So that's our target. And I've seen him too. This shouldn't be too hard, except that I can't act rashly here or I'll be found out. Perhaps I should send Hibari – in disguise of course – to act as an outside assassin and kill this man.'

Still contemplating, Tsuna didn't notice that Gokudera had sneaked up behind and was looking over his shoulder at the picture Reborn sent.

Gokudera called his boss gently so as to not startle him, but Tsuna jumped slightly anyways. Whirling around, Tsuna got into a defensive position, only to drop his hands when he saw Gokudera. "What are you going here, Hayate?" Tsuna prompted, using the aliases just in case someone happens to be nearby.

"I was looking for you. Who called you this morning and who was that man?" Gokudera asked, feeling weird because he couldn't address his beloved boss by his title.

"Don't worry. I'll tell you all about it once you've gathered everyone. Tell them to meet me at the gates. We're going to Kyoya's place." Tsuna ordered, his eyes once again deep in thought.

So Gokudera left to carry out his boss's orders, and ten minutes later, the boss and his guardians are gathered at the gates, waiting to leave. Tsuna said before anyone could say aything, "Don't ask anything, guys. I'll tell you all about it once we're safe enough."

* * *

><p>One hour later…<p>

"So that's how it is. Now we have to get rid of Jakob. Does anyone have any idea how?" Tsuna asked his guardians, having told them the whole story, from recognizing the gun to Reborn's call this morning.

"Hmm. This might be tricky." Yamamoto said, then laughed when Gokudera's face twisted into a "Duh…" expression.

Before it could get out of hand, Tsuna voiced his idea, "I thought that maybe Hibari-san could take care of it, dressing up as an assass –"

"Don't even think about it or I'll bite you to death." Hibari growled. He might have agreed if Tsuna had worded his request in a better way. 'Dress up' is something Hibari would NEVER do!

"W-why not?" Tsuna asked, then silenced when he saw Hibari's death glare. "What do we do then?"

Nobody answered his question, for nobody knew the answer.

RING! RING! Tsuna's phone rang again for the second time today.

"It's Gerald." Tsuna said to everyone before picking up.

"Sora?" Tsuna heard Gerald's voice say on the other end.

"Yes, Gerald. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing. You just have another mission, that's all."

"Oh. Do you need me to come back immediately?"

"Yes. The mission is punishing a traitor, second strike. I just received orders from the main branch this morning that someone named Jakob had infiltrated our branch. He's the traitor you need to punish. I'll send you his picture now. Good luck on your mission." Gerald said, ending the call and sending the picture.

For the second time of the day, Tsuna stared at the familiar face of the middle-aged man, Jakob. Whispering a quiet "Thank you, Reborn", Tsuna turned back to his guardians and said out loud, "Problem solved, guys."

"What happened, Jyuudaime?" Gokudera was the first to ask.

"Gerald just ordered me to take care of Jakob. Quite a coincidence, don't you think?" Tsuna said, smiling a mysterious smile.

"That's great, Jyuudaime. Shall we go now?" Gokudera asked excitedly, genuinely happy that his boss's problem is now solved.

"Yeah. Let's go. Jakob's probably at the base right now and he won't know what's coming until it hits him." Tsuna answered, tone darkening.

* * *

><p>30 minutes later…<p>

Tsuna and his guardians wandered around the mansion, searching for their target. They had agreed that it would be faster if they split up, so here they are, working in teams of two to find Jakob. Tsuna and Chrome will cover the dorms while Gokudera and Yamamoto covered the outside. Ryohei and Lambo covered the rest of the facility, like the diner or training rooms. If Jakob was sighted, they would communicate with each other through phones. But so far, no one had found anything yet.

Suddenly, Chrome's phone rang. It turned out that Lambo and Ryohei had found Jakob in one of the training rooms. Immediately, Tsuna and Chrome rushed toward this location, only to find that Gokudera and Yamamoto had already arrived. Ryohei and Lambo were waiting for them outside the training room.

The six walked inside, and luck was on their side, for no one was present at this particular training room. They saw their target punching a sandbag in a corner. After ordering Lambo to watch the door, Tsuna and the others approach Jakob.

The man, unaware of his looming doom, looked up and smiled at Tsuna. He stopped punching and said, "Hey, are you guys here to work out too? I'm pretty new here so I don't know you all, but I'm Jakob. Nice you meet you."

"Ah, nice to meet you too, Mr. Jakob." Tsuna answered with a pained expression on his face. His voice hardening, he continued, "Or should I say, Mr. Traitor."

"W-what? What are you talking about? Who's a traitor?" Jakob said, his eyes flickering around, unable to look straight into Tsuna's eyes. Tsuna could practically feel the panic and fear radiating from the man.

Then, as if trying to convince himself, Jakob said, "I don't know what you're talking about... Nevermind, I'm kinda tired today. See you later." Jakob quickly made toward the door, trying to escape, but his arm was grasped by Yamamoto.

Shivering, Jakob turned to Yamamoto and asked, "What do you want? Who are you?"

"I don't want anything. It's my boss you have to answer to." Yamamoto answered, shaking his head toward Tsuna. Jakob turned to Tsuna and repeat his questions. This time, he finally got an answer.

"I'm someone you don't need to know and I want you to admit your betrayal to the family" was the curt answer he'd been waiting for.

"What are you talking about? I didn't betray the family." Jakob's voice was slightly hysterical by now.

Gokudera's patience ran out as he looked at the coward. Grabbing the man's collar, he shoved Jakob against the wall and hissed, "We know all about your betrayal and I suggest you confess them now or it's gonna get ugly."

"I-I…" Jakob hesitated, then finally broke down. He admitted having bought a copy of the blueprint for the gun and planning to sell it off. However he denied all accusations of him actually selling the copy off. He said he was still trying to find a good buyer, but he was caught before he could do so. He said he also regrets betraying the family, but Tsuna was unsympathetic. When it comes to the safety of the family, Tsuna is as cold and cruel as he needs to be.

"Well, I'm sorry but you know the rules of the family. This will be the second strike," Tsuna said, referring to the family's punishment system. First strike is a warning, either in the form of imprisonment for a certain period of time or being beaten up. Second strike is torture. And third strike is execution. Some considers the second strike to be harsher than the third strike, but Tsuna thinks that anything is better than dying because as long as you're alive, you can atone for your mistakes. Of course, some don't believe in Tsuna's view because he'd never been tortured before. But now, as he was about to deliver the second strike, Tsuna wonders if Jakob wants to die instead.

The man cringes and shrinks back when Tsuna puts in his hand into his pocket. Jakob had thought that Tsuna was about to pull out a gun, a whip, or something. He didn't know that Tsuna had been reaching for his X-gloves. However, before he could pull them out, Tsuna heard Lambo yell something.

Glancing toward Lambo, he saw that another man had bursted into the room. 'Must be a hitman' Tsuna thought, analyzing the man's suit and the gun in his hand. But before Tsuna could even get a word out of his mouth, something happened.

A gunshot broke through the silence atmosphere.

Gasping, Tsuna turned back to see Jakob keeling down, dying right in front of him from the shot through the head. Knowing that there's no way to save the man, Tsuna closed his eyes and prayed, as he'd done every time one of his subordinates die.

Meanwhile, Gokudera and Yamamoto had snapped out of their surprise and were now advancing toward the hitman in anger. Unafraid, the hitman casually blew the smoke away from his gun and put it back into his suit pocket. A sudden wind gushed by, halting Gokudera and Yamamoto in their march. Looking back and forth, they finally saw what caused that burst of air, Tsuna.

Tsuna flashed forward, using his ultra speed, and grabbed the man by the collar. He slammed the hitman into the wall, creating a dent, and growled, "FUCK YOU! WHY DID YOU KILL HIM?"

The hitman merely blinked and answered lazily, "Boss's orders. He knew Gerald would give the mission to you six, and he knew you would go easy, so he sent me instead. If you have any problems, go ask _him._ Now, if you don't mind, I have other things that are more important than standing here and explaining to you."

Tsuna let the man out of his grip, his rage now directed at Carlos. The hitman, ignoring Tsuna's anger, brushed the invisible dust off his suit and walked toward the door. Before he left, he turned his head and said, "Newbie, I suggest you don't mess with boss; it's for your own good."

Tsuna didn't respond. He just stood there, his fists shaking, his eyes narrowing, and his body straining to control his fury. His guardians gathered around him, offering their silent consolation and support. Tsuna took a deep breath, then let it out. Another breath, another exhalation. He kept repeating this process until his mind finally calmed down.

Tsuna thought to himself, 'Carlos just earned himself a one-way ticket to hell. One more row of X's and he's done for. No more chances. No more mercy. That bastard!'

Yamamoto finally spoke up, "Tsuna, are you ok?"

"Yes. Let's go back to the dorm. Onii-san, can you call someone to clean up the body?"

"Of course," Ryohei murmured, whipping out his phone. Even he could not be his bright-and-loud self at the face of someone's death.

All the others, including Tsuna, walked out of the room, already thinking of various ways to kill Carlos. Suddenly, Tsuna's Hyper Intuition sparked up and told him something. A monition.

'Tomorrow is the Day of Judgment. Tomorrow, Carlos will either die or live!'

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><p><strong>AN: ~This chapter probably contains more mistake than the other ones 'cuz I kinda rushed it! So I apologize for any mistakes!~**

**Plus, I kinda speed up the plot so if anyone disagrees with how I planned it out, I'm sorry! This chappie is totally rushed so the story is kinda... not smooth. Gomen-nasai! T.T  
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**Anyways, thank you for reading and please don't forget to review! Feel free to criticize or comment!  
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**I'll update as soon as possible! Bye, guys! Love you all!**


	7. Day 4: Carlos

**Warning: language and horrible writing due to writer's block :(**

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR**

**Many thanks to all reviewers, especially those who were kind enough to give me a piece of their thoughts on my story! Please continue to support this story and review!**

**Enjoy the 7th (I hope I got my math right) chapter of the story!  
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><p><span>Day 4: Carlos<span>

Tsuna glanced at the alarm clock next to his bed, which displayed 3 AM, and sat up. He couldn't figure out what had woken him up, but he knew that his Hyper Intuition is trying to tell him something. Sighing, Tsuna thought, 'No use trying to go back to sleep... I wonder what will happen today.'

After thirty minutes of sitting in bed and thinking about his life and problems, Tsuna finally yawned. Tsuna was definitely not a morning bird because he always stays up late doing his paperwork and thinking about the Family. Just as Tsuna was wavering between going back to sleep and going out to train, he heard a knock on the door.

After making sure that it was not his imagination, Tsuna stood up and walked over to open the door. Imagine his surprise when he saw Gerald standing there, looking tired and apologetic. Gerald shook his head when Tsuna invited him in.

"Sorry for waking you up this early, Sora", Gerald said, looking truly sorry, "but I have a really important mission for you guys."

"It's alright, Gerald. I was already awake anyways. Please wait here, I'll wake Hayate and Takahiro. Could you wake Ryu and Ren for me?"

"Of course. And I've already sent for Yuki as well."

"Thank you." Tsuna answered, then closed the door and walked back toward Gokudera and Yamamoto.

Due to honed skills and years of being assassinated in bed, one shake was enough to wake the two guardians. Putting a finger to his lips, Tsuna whispered to the still-groggy guardians, "Mission. Hurry and change."

Five minutes later, Gerald and five neatly-dressed hitmen were walking toward Carlos's office. Chrome was already waiting for them by the time they get there, yet Carlos was nowhere to be seen. Gerald motioned for Tsuna and his friends to sit down.

"I've managed to convince Carlos-sama to give you all this mission." Gerald started, his expression grim. "Today, you will protect Carlos-sama as he carries out his daily routine. The reason I woke you this early is because you need to know about the daily routine itself. Any questions so far before I started explaining."

Tsuna asked, "Where is Carlos-sama then, if this mission concerns him?"

"Ah, he's… he will be here momentarily." Gerald answered, looking uncomfortable.

Tsuna nodded, although he understood what Gerald had really meant. 'That bastard, we're here at 4 AM working our ass off in order to prepare for _his _mission, and he's having fun god-knows-where!' But it's still too early in the morning for Tsuna's brain to work properly so he couldn't really stay mad at Carlos.

"Anyways, first off, Carlos-sama will visit the local yakuza to discuss treaties and such with them. This is the main reason you had to wake up this early; because, as I'm sure you know, yakuza do not appear often during daytime. And the discussion should take maximum two hours. Your job at this discussion is to protect Carlos-sama and secretly gather information as well. Afterwards, you all will return to the mansion and have breakfast. Then, you will train with the others like normal. However, at about 9 AM, you will follow Carlos-sama to town and visit the stores. These stores are controlled by our family, and your jobs here are to collect the records from each storeowner and protect Carlos-sama. Of course, Carlos-sama will inspect the records and if there's a need for punishment, you will deliver them. You will return to the mansion for lunch after you're done with your checkup. The remainder of the day, you just have to simply protect Carlos-sama. He will probably go to the bar or strip club like he usually does. Now, I want you to remember that you cannot neglect your duties while at these places. You must stay on your guard because Carlos-sama will most likely be vulnerable at these places. I don't know for sure when Carlos-sama will come back so you might have to stay out all night since you have to accompany Carlos-sama. Oh, and one little advice for you all, when he's relaxing, you shouldn't surround him too much. Try not to be conspicuous but watch over him and protect him at the same time. That's all. Any questions?"

"Let me make sure I got this right. In order: yakuza, market, then strip club. And job description includes gathering info, collecting records, maybe delivering punishment, and protecting. Is that right?" Tsuna muttered, trying to commit all Gerald had said into memory.

"That sounds about right. And if you don't have any other questions, you should go get ready. I know I didn't give you a lot of time to prepare, and for that, I'm sorry." Gerald apologized gently.

"Don't worry about it," Tsuna said in return.

"Just make sure to come back here about fifteen minutes later," Gerald said.

With that, Tsuna left the office with his friends. He couldn't believe his luck, he didn't think he would get a chance like this to personally observe Carlos. 'And here I was preparing to spy on Carlos too. Looks like I don't need to worry about that now. The only thing left is for Carlos to behave perfectly and for me to judge.'

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><p>15 minutes later…<p>

Tsuna and his friends now stood in front of Carlos's desk, facing his scornful expression.

Carlos growled, "What took you trash so long? I've been waiting here for awhile already."

"I apologize, sir." Tsuna answered, but did not offer any explanations.

"Let's get going then." Carlos stood up and stalked out of the office with Tsuna and his friends right behind.

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><p>30 minutes later…<p>

Carlos and the others stepped off the car and walked toward a darkened alley. Before they could even enter the alley, however, they were barred by two men wearing casual clothes. Tsuna and his guardians immediately tensed, ready to attack when Carlos orders; though instead of gathering around Carlos, Tsuna's guardians had shifted around him instead. Oblivious to this, Carlos merely put his hands into his pockets and asked, "Do you fuckin' trash know who I am?"

"You think you're so famous? We don't know a crap about you…" One of the guys said, smirking superiorly. He didn't see the fist the flew toward his right cheek, knocking him down.

Looming above the guy, Carlos growled, "I'm Carlos, boss of the Vongola German branch and soon-to-be Vongola Undicesimo. Remember that when you go to hell." Then Carlos pulled out his gun and shooted before anyone could react.

Tsuna gasped silently, surprised at both the sudden death and Carlos's outrageous declaration about being the next boss of Vongola.

Meanwhile, the other guy ran to his dead friend, checking to see if he was still alive. When the death was confirmed, he looked up at Carlos with hatred for a moment, but controlled himself. "What business do you have here then, Boss of the Vongola German branch?"

"I want to see your leader."

"Very well. Follow me." The guy stood up, leaving his comrade to rest against the wall. Carlos followed the guy into the alley, leaving Tsuna to stand there looking dazed.

"What just happened? Did he just kill someone? I swear I –" Tsuna ranted, stopping when Gokudera placed a hand on his shoulder. At this gesture of understanding, Tsuna bent his head and sobbed slightly, "Why? Why does he keep making mistakes? Why does he keep forcing my hand?"

"Jyuudaime, some people are just... just too lost to be able to turn back." Gokudera consoled.

"No, I don't believe that." Tsuna said firmly with conviction, wiping his tears away. "I believe Carlos can still turn back." But as he remember all the deeds Carlos had done, Tsuna's conviction dwindled.

"Anyways, let's catch up to him, guys." Yamamoto suggested. Despite smiling, his eyes contained anger and determination.

"Right." Tsuna answered, then ran with his friends behind him toward Carlos. When they reached him, Tsuna slowed to a walk slightly behind Carlos. They were surprised when he didn't yell at them or anything. Tsuna took advantage of this silent walk and carefully observed Carlos.

He was mildly surprised that Carlos's black hair was actually dark brown upon close inspection. Carlos's eyes are catlike, green and luminous in the dark. Under his jacket was a body of lean muscles. Unlike Nubo, who was fat, Carlos was lean and deadly.

Tsuna thought, 'He must be strong. Might be a tough opponent.' Before Tsuna could think more, they'd reached the yakuza hideout.

Walking inside, they immediately saw the yakuza leader. He was lounging on a couch with a woman by his side. When he saw his unexpected guests, he immediately motioned for the woman to be led away and sat up straight. The guy that had lead them here walked to his side and whispered something. No doubt it was to report the death of their comrade, for the leaders' eyes turned cold and angry.

Without permission, Carlos just sat down on a chair nearby and looked at the yakuza leader with a bored expression. After introducing himself as Ivan, the yakuza leader and Carlos immediately got into talks about territories and such. Tsuna listened carefully for information, but nothing important came up.

Finally, after an hour of talking and threatening, Carlos brought up a particular subject. "I plan on overthrowing our weak leader, Vongola Decimo. I swear if you join me, you will be rewarded once I've become the new boss."

"No," answered Ivan immediately and unhesitatingly. "I know better than to go against Vongola and I suggest you don't do it as well. I, for one, have seen Vongola Decimo in action and I'll let you know he's known as the "Fiery Demon" for a reason. Do not be foolish." Tsuna grimaced at the reminder of his little nickname in the mafia world.

Carlos twitched in anger at being called foolish. Pulling out his gun, he shot Ivan in the leg and said, "Then I have nothing else to say. Just be prepared to disband once I've become Vongola Undicesimo." He turned and left, leaving the poor man to clutch his leg in pain.

Tsuna glanced around, meeting the hate-filled eyes of the yakuza. Surprisingly, no one tried to stop them. He had expected an all-out attack from them, because shooting a boss in a meeting is enough of a reason to start a war. Looking behind him one last time before he left, Tsuna felt certain that this matter is not over yet. The yakuza will surely retaliate.

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><p>45 minutes later...<p>

Having finished breakfast, Tsuna now stood in front of the yard, training with Ed. After they'd returned to the mansion, Carlos had immediately went to his office without a word to Tsuna and his friends. Tsuna's head was now filled with thoughts about Carlos and his actions earlier. He could hardly concentrate on dodging Ed's punch so he was hit several times.

After fifteen minutes, Ed called a stop to the duel, realizing that Tsuna was not paying attention to the fight at all. He did not try to pry into Tsuna's business though. He knew by now that Tsuna only shares what he wants and it's no use to pry for more.

Tsuna sat on the bench, trying to clear his head while waiting for his friends to finish their fights. Soon, he would have to leave to escort Carlos to the market. He wondered what will happen there.

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><p>One hour later...<p>

Tsuna skimmed through the logs that Calvin, the owner of Millifiore Restaurant, had offered. Gokudera and Yamamoto had gone to see the interior of the restaurant while Ryohei and Lambo had gone to patrol the perimeter of the site. And Chrome was busy cataloging the records and marking out mistake. Meanwhile Carlos, that lazy bastard, was sitting at one of the tables, enjoying coffee. Tsuna fumed silently when he thought about Carlos. 'Looking over records were supposed to be that bastard's job. We were just supposed to collect the records, not do his job for him.'

By the time Tsuna was done, his eyes were almost crossed due to the amount of numbers on the log. He could also feel the headache in the back of his head. Massaging his poor eyes, Tsuna brought the records to Carlos and pointed out the mistakes for him. According to the records, there had been a great loss of money from the account and profit had been very small. If he didn't know better, Tsuna would have assumed that the manager was trying to steal money from the family.

However, instead of telling Calvin to correct the mistakes or even instruct him on how to regain the profit, Carlos just waved the records away and stood up. Tsuna sighed; so much for delivering punishments. But before he could dwell on his thoughts, Carlos started walking toward the door. When Carlos passed by the man, he whispered something that only Tsuna's sensitive ears could pick up, "50/50."

This confuses Tsuna. Is is some kind of code or instruction? Then, as he realized what it means, his face contorted in anger. This man, this Calvin, had definitely been stealing from the family, and he had been splitting half with Carlos. 'How dare he? The money from missions and businesses our family worked hard to get is being spent here with this... this... this BASTARD!'

Walking toward Carlos's retreating back and putting on an innocent expression, Tsuna softly asked, "Sir, correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't one of our family's rule state that all business records must be reported to Vongola Decimo unless otherwise directed. I'm pretty new to Vongola; I have only been at the French branch for six months before I was transferred here so I'm not sure. I don't quite remember the rules so would you please explain to me?" Thi was all an act, of course. In truth, Tsuna had memorized the rule book by heart long ago, and this particular rule was one he'd created so of course he would remember. This rule had costed him three consecutive nights without sleep and was one of his many accomplishments since he'd become boss.

"Tch. Who cares about all those rules crap? Vongola Decimo can rot in his grave for all I care. We all want our own profit and benefit." Carlos replied, his expression annoyed.

"I see" was Tsuna's quiet reply. His brain was already grinding, trying to think of a new way to enforce his rules, since obviously, people had not been taking him seriously.

The rest of the inspection passed by slowly, with most of the owners stealing from the family. And again, Carlos had done nothing about it. Tsuna was slightly angry at the storeowners, but it was nothing compared to the anger and disappointment he felt toward Carlos. After all, these storeowners might know about the mafia, but they're still just normal citizens. On the other hand, Carlos was a boss, fully aware of the consequences he would face for his actions, and yet he still committed them.

Tsuna sighed in tiredness. The X's are almost full now, with only two more spaces left. But those two X's won't matter; Tsuna had already decided. He was only waiting for a chance to carry out the punishment because he wanted everyone to be there when Carlos dies. He wants Carlos's death to be an example, a warning to the family. 'The best opportunity would be tomorrow morning since I still have to discuss with Gokudera-kun and the others.'

By the time they reached the mansion, Tsuna's mind and body were in tatters. He decided he would still carry out the mission Gerald had given him unless Carlos goes overboard with his sins. Two down, and strip club to go. What a depressing thought!

Thinking back to the subject at hand, Tsuna thought, 'Carlos should enjoy the last few hours of his life before he dies. Because the punishment had been decided.'

Execution would be the only thing that awaits Carlos the next morning.

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><p><strong>AN: ~ Guys, I'm so very sorry for the slow update but I felt I couldn't rush this chappie since it's essential to the plot of the story. Anyways, as I've told you before, this story is nearing its end. Maybe a few more chapters and then the end. T_T ~**

**I want to thank all reviewers and I want to dedicate Carlos's description to Fantasy-Magician, who'd suggested about including his physical description and more info about him. **

**I apologize for any mistakes and I'll see you all soon, ne~? Oh, and don't forget to review, please!**


	8. Day 4: Revealed

**Hey guys! I am soo very sorry for the super slow update! It's been like, wow, over two weeks! As you have known, I've been busy with my other fic. And I've constantly been bombarded with projects and homeworks; you know how teachers are quick to fill their gradesbook after a semester... ha... ha... Anyways, so here's what you've all been waiting for (Hint: look at the title of the chapter). Hope you enjoy this and understand my slow update!**

**Warning: Major writer's block and any other mistake!  
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**Disclaimer: I no own Tsuna... blah blah blah... Let's get on with the story!**

**Oh, I forgot! Please remember to review!**

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><p><strong>Day 4: Revealed <strong>_  
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_He decided he would still carry out the mission Gerald had given him unless Carlos goes overboard with his sins. Two down, and strip club to go._

_Carlos should enjoy the last few hours of his life before he dies. Because the punishment had been decided._

_Execution is the only thing that awaits Carlos the next morning._

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><p>Tsuna sighed for the 48th time today. He watched silently as Carlos pulled the woman towards his chest. He grimaced when the woman giggled and planted a huge smacking kiss onto Carlos's lips. He looked away, in search of his guardians, who must be feeling the same thing since this is the first time all of them have been to a strip club. Not that Tsuna was unfamiliar with such seductions from women because being the famous boss that he is, his life was constantly bombarded with women throwing themselves at his feet, hoping to gain status through marriage. Still, even with the immunity to temptations that he had gained over years, Tsuna couldn't help but feel uncomfortable watching the woman draped herself over Carlos. He wondered how he had ended here, at this strip club, at 11 PM. 'Oh yeah, thanks to Carlos's stupid mood. "I need to rest and get myself into a perfect mood" my ass.' Tsuna thought, mocking Carlos.<p>

After the market inspection, Tsuna had returned to the mansion to eat lunch. According to the schedule, after lunch was supposed to be strip club, but Carlos decided otherwise last minute. He had told Tsuna and his guardians to, and I quote, "Fuck off and let me rest." If Gerald hadn't apologized afterwards, Tsuna would have smashed Carlos's head into the wall. With the help of Gokudera and the others, Tsuna managed to calm down enough to go enjoy his afternoon with his friends. Meanwhile, Carlos was in the office doing who-knows-what to rest.

Soon, dinner passed by and they were summoned to Carlos's office. They came in just as Carlos was preparing to head out. He had established his 'perfect mood' by then, so to the strip club they went. And here they are, at 11 PM, trying to fight off girls while watching Carlos at the same time.

Of course, they had heeded Gerald's advice and had spread out instead of standing right next to Carlos so Tsuna couldn't see any of his Guardians except Gokudera. 'He's gonna have such a hangover after this. I wonder if he'll even be awake when I come to execute him." Tsuna thought, watching Carlos knock himself out with a bottle of Everclear*.

He was surprised when Carlos lifted his head up from the woman's full breasts and glanced at Tsuna, motioning for him to come closer. Hiding his emotions, Tsuna walked towards Carlos. He was even more surprised when Carlos shoved the nameless woman aside, picked up his bottle of Everclear, and said, "Drink some with me."

This time, Tsuna let his surprise and confusion shone on his face. Carlos gestured at the glass that he had just poured, and picked up his own glass.

Out of the corners of his eyes, Tsuna saw Gokudera approaching. With a meaningful look, Tsuna managed to convey his message, 'Stand down.'

Turning back to Carlos, Tsuna saw him leaned back against the couch and chuckled. After noticing that Tsuna hadn't touch his drink, Carlos ordered, "Drink."

Tsuna raised one eyebrow questioningly, but obeyed nonetheless. He gulped, then almost winced when he felt the liquid burned his throat. Thank god he could hold his alcohol now. The Tsuna back in good old Namimori-chuu would have fainted from just a sip. Tasting the burning sensation of alcohol now reminded him of when he'd had his first drink, after which he had slept for two days straight and woke up with a splitting headache. He'd swore then to never drink again unless absolutely necessary. 'Guessed I haven't broken my promise yet since this IS necessary.' Tsuna thought, fighting off the dizziness.

Tsuna jerked when Carlos started to talk. He was wide awake now, listening to whatever Carlos's saying.

Carlos stared at his glass with melancholy, and started, "You know, Gerald used to be my sworn blood brother. When I was thirteen years-old, I lost my parents. Nobody wanted to take me in then, so I was sent to the mafia orphan home." Carlos paused and took a sip of his drink. Tsuna raised an eyebrow at the mention of a mafia orphan home. He didn't know that such an orphan home existed. Carlos, seeing Tsuna's confused expression, explained, "They used to have those. Mafia orphan homes are for orphans who were children of mafiosos. Here, they'd trained us into hitmen and we'd wait there until some family picked us up or hired us. Some of us would join different families, and some of us would escape to live a normal life. Anyways, they don't have those types of orphan homes anymore because several families felt that these are just places where young, innocent children are turned into bloodthirsty killing machines. They are partly right, but they didn't understand the feelings of the orphans actually living there. The orphan homes were our only haven, the once place we could call home. So when they tore the places down, the children who weren't adopted eventually died…"

Carlos trailed off. His eyes had a faraway look, as if he was re-experiencing his past. 'I need to ask Reborn more about these mafia orphan homes,' Tsuna thought, feeling a little sorry for Carlos and the other orphans.

"Anyways, so I was threw into that place, and that's where I met Gerald. When I first came to the place, I was scared and angry, very antisocial. I'd scare all the other kids away, except the bullies of course. Only one kid was persistent and stubborn enough to keep staying with me day after day, wanting to be my friend. Eventually, I loosened up and we started hanging out. We'd do everything together. When I was nineteen, Gerald and I made an oath to stay by each other's side forever since we have no one else but each other. We became friends then, and a year later, we were hired by Vongola together. We'd been partners, working hard together, and now, look at us, ha… We're leaders of the German branch, and I will soon be leader of the entire family instead of that weakling Decimo."

Tsuna didn't know if he should pity Carlos or be offended by his insult. So he decided to stay silent. Nothing Carlos says, no matter how touching, could sway Tsuna now. He had made his decision. Although he understood why Carlos acted as he did, Tsuna could not forgive such major sins committed on the family's name. If he was to forgive Carlos, then he would be unfair towards the rest of the family and the mafia world as a whole. The world is a harsh place; plenty of people have experienced Carlos's situation but instead continued to live with a bright smile. Tsuna couldn't understand why Carlos held such bitterness and anger, why Gerald had not been able to help Carlos. 'No use pondering about this. Though this talk is enlightening, it will not change the situation.'

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><p>The rest of the night passed by with Tsuna sitting with Carlos, drinking companionably - or rather, Tsuna watching Carlos gulp down glass after glass of alcohol. The club had long since emptied out, leaving only Carlos, Tsuna, and the Guardians. The sun was starting to peek over the horizon, and Carlos, who'd dozed off a few hours ago, started to wake up. Glancing at his watch, Carlos stood up and paid for his drinks. After doing that, they all walked toward the exit.<p>

Just as Lambo prepared to open the door, it swung in, hitting him right in the face. Ryohei barked a quick laugh, helping Lambo up. Meanwhile, a hitman barged in and frantically looked around. Immediately upon seeing and recognizing Carlos, the man ran toward him and started to half-mumbled, half-yelled a bunch of incoherent words.

Carlos's eyebrow twitched and he swung his fist, catching the panicked hitman right in the jaws. "Calm the fuck down," Carlos growled.

The hitman nursed his bruised cheek and took two deep breaths, then he started to quickly explain, "Excuse me, sir, but we've been attacked. The yakuza came to our base half an hour ago and just randomly attacked. Normally, we would have been able to hold them back, but a quarter of our men has been sent on various missions and has not returned. Plus the yakuza are great in numbers. We request your presence immediately sir."

Halfway through the explanation, Carlos had already left. Together with Tsuna and the other people, he quickly headed back to the base.

If the situation had not been so serious, Tsuna would have said "I told you so" to Carlos. He knew the yakuza would counter-attack. What family wouldn't if their boss was greatly insulted and one of their fellow hitman killed.

The eight of them hurried back to the mansion, only to be greeted by a sight that stopped them dead.

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><p>It was a battlefield right there at the mansion. Men in black suits rammed into men in casual clothes. Weapons clashed. Gunshots rang across the courtyard. Blood spilled. Men fell. Everyone was engrossed in trying to survive so no one noticed Carlos's arrival. And guess what Carlos did to gain attention?<p>

"You motherfuckers. How dare you attack my men? I will annihilate you." Carlos growled, charging straight into the battlefield without even thinking of a plan. Tsuna sweatdropped. How had such a man become a branch boss was beyond his understanding.

Tsuna's brain quickly caught up with the situation as he analyzed both sides' advantages and disadvantages. 'Shit. Looks like we have more casualties. How do I stop this? How do I stop this?' His brows furrowed as he concentrated, blocking out the sounds of battle. The rest of his Guardians carefully watched the mini-war, awaiting his orders.

Tsuna's mind flitted through various possibilities, eliminating this idea and considering that idea. 'I'm sure Gokudera and the others could easily handle this, but should I let them? If I allow my Guardians to participate in this fight, it might cause hostility and upset the balance between mafia and yakuza. Plus, it was our fault in the first place – well, more like Carlos's fault, but Carlos is still part of the family so same difference – and if we cause harm to the yakuza, Vongola would lose its reputation. What if I reveal myself? My presence should be able to stop everyone for a minute or so. That should be enough time for a hasty explanation and apology from Carlos. And if the battle doesn't stop after that, then I could just go all-out on the excuse of defending myself. But then… Oh, how I wish Reborn was here. This would be solved in a blink of an eye… Damn it, what should I do?'

Tsuna continued to argue inside his mind, considering the weaknesses of this idea and that idea until Gokudera interrupted him with a slight nudge. 'That's right. I have no time to be thinking this carefully. Besides, I think this is time the perfect time to reveal my identity. My Hyper Intuition tells me so.'

Just as Tsuna found the resolve to carry out his plan, Hibari arrived. And when I say arrive, I meant jumped out from the sky and landed lightly right next to Tsuna, tonfas out and ready. Hibird chirped.

"Do I get to discipline these herbivores?" was Hibari's first words.

"It depends," Tsuna murmured, "on whether my plan works. Be patient, Hibari-san." Tsuna saw no need to use aliases anymore seeing as he's about to reveal himself. He took two deep breaths.

"STOP!"

All shooting and fighting came to a screeching halt when everyone heard the thunderous roar. They turned towards the source. What they saw made them cringe back in fear.

Six men (Mukuro came out) stood slightly behind a petit man at the front. This was not what scared them, however. What scared them was the Dying Will burning brightly on the man's forehead.

Whispers sprung up as everyone recognized the person standing in front of them.

Tsuna stood calmly, waiting for the surprise to vanish. 'Funny how now no one's fighting. They're even talking to each other like old friends' Tsuna thought sarcastically, noting how the fight was immediately forgotten.

No one seemed to remember his disguise except Gerald, Carlos, and Ed. Tsuna could tell that they were beyond surprised. Due to his keen hearing, Tsuna was able to hear a little bit of the conversations going on.

"It's Vongola Decimo."

"You are so dead now that our boss is here."

"So that's the famous, so-called Dying Will Flame."

"That chibi is your boss?"

"Shit, he's gonna wipe our asses."

"Oh my god, are those his guardians? They're so hot! Kyaa!" Tsuna chuckled when he heard this. Apparently, female mafiosos can also be fangirls.

Tsuna decided to end this little game. He raised his voice and let his killer intent flow out wildly. He signaled with his hand, immediately commanding silence and attention. "I am the Vongola Decimo of the Vongola Famiglia!..."

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><p><strong>*Everclear is the strongest alcohol, with 75.5-95% alcohol.<br>**

**A/N: ~*cringes* So... er... how was that? Good, I hope. The ending's kinda lame cuz I couldn't think of another way to end that won't reveal what happens in the next chapter. I actually had this chapter written yesterday already, but FanFic was being extremely slow and uncooperative so I couldn't update until now. Anyways, I am sorry for any mistake and stuff~**

**Thank you to all my devoted readers and I hope you are satisfied with this chappie. Oh yeah, I am very sorry to inform you all that the next chappie will be the last, unless I change my mind! Anyways, so yeah, hope you're happy and I'll update again soon, ne~?**

**Oh, remember to REVIEW! Anything's accepted!  
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	9. Day 5: Final Showdown

**Haha... Finally, the long-awaited chapter. I hope you're not disappointed. :D**

**Warning:...  
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**Disclaimer: You know what it is.  
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**Thank you for everyone who stuck with me all the way. Just a little more, guys, because this fic is almost done. Now enjoy! :)  
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><p><span>Day 5: Final Showdown<span>_  
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_Tsuna decided to end this little game. He raised his voice and let his killer intent flow out wildly. He signaled with his hand, immediately commanding silence and attention. "I am the Vongola Decimo of the Vongola Famiglia."_

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><p>Raising his voice, he said stonily, "Stop this battle immediately. This is all an accident and a mistake, and I plan on fixing it. The bosses of both sides please step forward."<p>

Then, turning to Hibari, Tsuna mumbled, "Please take care of the areas that didn't hear my call and are still fighting." Hibari grinned evilly and disappeared in a flash.

Out of the crowd came Carlos and Ivan. Ivan did a small bow while Carlos just stare back at Tsuna.

Tsuna, not even glancing in Carlos's direction, addressed Ivan, "As I have said, this is an accident. I, on behalf of the Vongola Famiglia, apologize to you. I hope you will let this go. I will take this matter into my own hands, so I hope we'll be able to settle this without violence."

Ivan nodded his head. "As expected from the Tenth boss. Sounds reasonable enough to me, but I still want an apology from _him._" Ivan pointed to Carlos, who snarled back in reply.

"You think I'll apologize to rats like you? Keep dreaming!" Carlos spitted out.

Tsuna raised his hand, and shot fire right by Carlos's head, burning some of his hair and startling him. "Be quiet!" Tsuna commanded in a cold voice.

Tsuna turned to Ivan and said, "Of course. I will force an apology out of him if it's the last thing I do. After all, this is all his fault! Again, I apologize on behalf of my subordinate."

Tsuna then stepped towards Carlos. "Look at what you've done, Carlos. Look around. Is this what your sister or your parents would have wanted? Did they risk their lives for the sake of a world filled with blood? Look at your subordinates, your comrades. They're dying, Carlos, dying for something that was not worth it, that could have been prevented. These are men that have been loyal to you, that are still loyal to you even though you've strayed down the dark path. Look in their eyes, Carlos, and tell me you don't care about their pain, their sacrifice."

"I…I…" Carlos stuttered, taking in everything Tsuna had said. He looked at a man lying on the ground with a limb missing. He remembered that this man had always asked him about his welfare after every mission. Carlos turned and looked at another man, this one dying. The lights in his eyes had already started to fade, and yet they seem to be conveying some dire message to Carlos. The man whispered with his last breath, "T-Thank…y-you."

And those two words finally caused Carlos to wake up. He finally realized what he had done, to his friends, his comrades. "I…," he started.

"LOOK OUT!" Someone suddenly yelled.

Carlos swiveled his head to see a stray bullet, heading straight for Gerald. Acting on instinct, Carlos immediately jumped in front of Gerald. The bullet pierced him right through his lung. Everyone, even Tsuna, was too surprised to even react, much less find out who the culprit had been. Carlos swayed and crashed down. Gerald, seeing his boss fall, instantly snapped out of his shock and knelt down next to Carlos.

"G-Gerald…" Carlos whispered through his pain.

"Please, stop talking. We'll get help right away. Please, someone, call the doctors." Gerald shouted, looking at the nearest person, which happened to be Tsuna.

Tsuna shook his head. He was experienced enough to know which wound could be saved and which is hopeless. Unfortunately, this is one of the 'hopeless' case. The tenth boss gently knelt down and put a hand of Gerald's shoulders. "I'm sorry."

"What are you saying sorry for? Call the doctors!" Gerald yelled hysterically, holding Carlos's hand tightly.

Tsuna tightened his grip of Gerald's shoulders. "Gerald, you _know_ he can't be saved. The bullet had pierced his lung."

"I…I…" Gerald struggled, still in denial.

"It's alright, Gerald." Carlos whispered suddenly. "This way, I can finally see my family. Besides, death is the only way to atone for my sins. I'm sorry, my brother, for all the pains I've caused you."

"You didn't cause me any pain, Carlos. You did great." Gerald answered back, still holding Carlos's hand.

Carlos smiled slightly, "Thank you." Then looking up at the sky, he whispered, "Tou-san, kaa-san, nee-chan, I'm coming."

With tears running down his cheeks, Gerald gently closed Carlos's eyes. "May you be happy in heaven with your family. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything down here."

Everyone bent their heads in respect for Carlos's death. Several stoic hitmen had tears running down their faces, both sad by their boss's death and relieved by the fact that he died a hero.

Tsuna turned away from the tragic scene to find Hibari right beside him. He nodded to the skylark in question, and received a nod back in acknowledgement. With a flick of his wrist, Tsuna summoned Gokudera and Yamamoto to his side and ordered, "Please take care of the funeral process."

Gokudera spoke up, "But Jyuudaime, we don't usually organize funerals for normal-ranking men."

"But Carlos was the boss of the German branch, Gokudera-kun, and is therefore considered a captain-level officer, who are just below the Guardians."

"Very well, Jyuudaime." Gokudera replied, and took off with Yamamoto to arrange everything.

Tsuna then turned to Ryohei and ordered him to treat as many men as possible. Ryohei immediately got to work, with Lambo and Chrome (Mukuro turned back because he said nothing else exciting is going to happen) as his assistants.

Turning to Ivan, Tsuna said firmly, "In light of the recent events, we cannot fulfill your conditions. I am sure you understand why. Now, if you would lead your men out of this estate, we would very much appreciate it because this is a private matter for the family. We do not need outsiders to witness this."

Knowing that there was no use staying or reacting to Tsuna's harsh words, Ivan responded, "Of course. Thank you, Vongola Decimo, for intervening with this fight. We will leave immediately." Motioning to his men, Ivan turned and walked out the gates, heading back to the downtown slum areas.

With that settled, Tsuna looked back at the tattered German branch. Now leaderless and severely injured, they sure don't look like mafia, much less mafia belonging to the Vongola Famiglia. Tsuna turned to Gerald, who was still kneeling next to Carlos's body. Ed had joined Gerald in the silent vigil next to Carlos.

Opening his notebook, Tsuna tore out the page of X's titled German branch. 'Considered punishment delivered. With Carlos's death, these X's will be erased.' With that thought, Tsuna ripped the paper into pieces and scattered it into the wind. Now that everything had been settled, Tsuna bend down and offered comfort to the pair kneeling next to Carlos.

Tsuna felt pain pierce his heart for the first time since Carlos's death. 'If I had been a better boss, this would not have happen. If I had prevented this in time, Gerald and Ed would not have to bear this pain. If I… If I…' Tsuna continued to blame himself, until he felt a kick on his head.

"Dame-Tsuna is still dame, I see." Reborn said, landing on Tsuna's head. "Ciaossu."

"What are you doing here, Reborn?" Tsuna asked, his voice high with surprise. "And how an I still dame?"

"You're still dame because you didn't dodge that kick. And I am here because I want to. Got a problem with that?"

Tsuna sweatdropped and sighed. 'As unreasonable as ever I see… Reborn will always be Reborn.'

Reborn suddenly spoke up, "No use blaming anyone, including yourself. We still have other things to settle. Let's go." With that, Leon turned into a hammer, and Reborn pounded Tsuna's head, urging him to stand up.

"Owww… What was that for?" Tsuna rubbed the back of his head and stood up. He smiled though, as Reborn jumped on his shoulders. As always, Reborn understands him the most. 'In his own meanie way, Reborn is trying to comfort him and telling him to not blame himself.'

Tsuna looked up at the blue, cloudless sky, and remembered that this, today, is what he is fighting to prevent. He remembered his vow that he made when he first became the Vongola Decimo. 'This mission is finally over. What a sad ending.' Tsuna thought, with a single tear trailing down his cheek that no one saw except Reborn, who decided to keep quiet.

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><p><strong>AN: ~Finally. Next chapter will be last chap, you guys. Again, thank you for putting up with me and my fics. I hope you are satisfied with this chappie. Sorry if I made mistakes, and please review to let me know.**

**Oh, I forgot to tell you guys. I'm not sure if you can die from a bullet through your lungs, but let's just assume that Carlos died that way. I didn't want it to be a heart injury, cuz you would die right away from that and have no time to whisper final words. :D  
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**And thank you for anyone who read my author's note and participated in the petition. If you don't know about this, please look on my profile.  
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**Again, I hope you guys enjoy this and please review.**


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